Sikh Faith Symbols Face Discrimination at Exam Center: A Call for Constitutional Compliance
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal criticized the barring of a Sikh girl at a Jaipur exam center for wearing sacred Sikh articles, citing constitutional rights violations. He urged intervention from the Prime Minister to address religious intolerance and called for guidelines on faith symbols.
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In a recent controversy, Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal condemned the exclusion of a Sikh girl from the Rajasthan Judicial Services exam in Jaipur. The incident took place because the girl wore sacred Sikh articles, including 'kara' and 'kirpan', sparking an outcry over the violation of Article 25 of India's Constitution.
Badal highlighted this as a gross violation of the girl's right to practice her religion, urging Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action against what he termed an 'increasing sequence of religious intolerance'. Previously, two Sikh girls faced similar discrimination in Jodhpur, bringing to light issues of religious discrimination against the Sikh community.
To prevent further occurrences, Badal called for the government to issue clear guidelines to protect the religious symbols of Sikh faith. He also appealed to the Rajasthan High Court to allow the girl a special opportunity to take the exam. The SAD chief demanded immediate action from Rajasthan's Chief Minister to stop future incidents.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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