On Thursday, a Sikh student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the United States of America was held on campus for wearing a kirpan, one of the five Sikh Kakars. As the video of the event went viral, university chancellor Sharon Gaber apologised for the campus police officer’s actions on Friday.
“UNC Charlotte dispatch received a 911 call reporting someone in the building with a knife.” Police officers arrived on the scene and confronted the suspect. During this incident, the person was handcuffed as officers took control of the object. After the thing was recovered, the handcuffs were removed. “Further research revealed that the item was a kirpan, a religious artefact in Sikhism,” Gaber stated in a statement to the campus community posted on the university’s website, UNCC.edu.
“State law and University policy prohibit the possession of a knife or other edged instruments on campus, but we will use this as a learning opportunity by engaging in constructive dialogue with Sikh students and employees. Together, we are confident we can find reasonable measures and educational opportunities that both protect the safety of our campus and the religious practices of our community members. Our diversity makes us a better, richer, more successful community. We want every Niner to feel welcomed, supported and safe. We apologise that this is not what this young man felt in our union yesterday. We are committed to ensuring it doesn’t happen again,” the message stated.
The student posted the footage to Twitter. He stated that he was “handcuffed” for refusing to let the campus police officer take his kirpan out of the miyaan.
“I wasn’t going to post this, but I don’t think I will receive any support from @unccharlotte. I was told someone called 911 and reported me, and I got cuffed for “resisting” because I refused to let the officer take my kirpan out of the miyaan,” he added
Soon after, BJP politician Manjinder Singh Sirsa retweeted it, demanding an apology. He further stated that he was in contact with the Indian embassy in the United States and the Ministry of External Affairs in order to have the student “released with due respect.” “.
“Despite numerous global campaigns to create awareness about Sikh Kakaars, it’s disheartening to see the Campus Police at University of North Carolina detain a Sikh youth for his Kirpan. I condemn the discriminatory attitude of University authorities towards Sikh students,”
He condemned the incident and requested an apology from the Campus Police and University Administration, which had arrested the students. “We demand an apology from Campus Police and Univ Admn at @unccharlotte that detained a Sikh youth for his Kirpan, a quintessential part of Sikh Kakars. We are in constant touch with @IndianEmbassyUS and @MEAIndia to ensure the Amritdhari student is released with due respect,” Former legislator Sirsa said in a tweet.
“I must appreciate the Sikh student who explained the significance of Kirpan with such faith. We demand an apology from @unccharlotte admn on this racial attitude. I also urge @DrSJaishankar Ji to address the issue of discrimination faced by Sikh students at global level,” He stated.
The video, which has received over 2.2 million views, attracted strong reactions from the Twitterati.
A Twitter user expressed regret that it was “very unfortunate that you got arrested with no provocation or threats made. Many Americans legally carry small handguns in their holsters, they don’t get arrested. I hope the complaint gets dismissed & an apology is issued”.
Another user said, “This must be looked into and the officer must be reprimanded and trained so that he knows the legality of baptised Sikhs carrying religious items. There have never been any problems with Sikhs carrying these for many years.”
“Everyone should have basic knowledge Of all religions, including Sikhism and the 5 K’s” one individual said regarding the need of having a basic awareness of religion in America’s multicultural society.
The kirpan is an essential aspect of the Sikh religion, and Article 25 of the Indian Constitution authorises Sikhs to wear and carry kirpans. It’s one of five Kakars. Sikhs wear them as a reminder of their faith’s precepts, which include justice, generosity, morality, humility, and equality.
It is required to be worn at all times and is a vital part of the Khalsa Sikh’s person. Failure to wear the kirpan at any time, day or night, is a grave violation for a Khalsa Sikh.