AMRITSAR: Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), has termed the denial of admission to a six-year-old Sikh boy by a school in Mangalore, Karnataka, as an attack on the religious freedom of Sikhs.
He said that earlier a college in Karnataka had asked an Amritdhari Gursikh girl not to sit in class due to turban and now a small child has been barred from enrolling in the school.
The SGPC President said that this was a violation of the Constitution of the country as the Constitution of India gives religious freedom to everyone.
He asked Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bomai to take concrete steps to stop such acts against Sikhs in the state.
Advocate Dhami said that religious freedom of Sikhs was being suppressed in Karnataka which could not be tolerated.
He said that a delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) would soon visit Karnataka to meet the Chief Minister on such Sikh issues, for which a letter has been written to the Chief Minister Mr. Basavaraj Bomai to fix the time.
Meanwhile, the SGPC President has also strongly objected to the directive of students in Delhi not to come to school in religious attire.
He said that it was unfortunate that South Delhi Municipal Corporation had issued such instructions to its education department officials.
He said that religious concerns and rights were being violated in the name of differences and inequality among the students. The Government of India should issue strict instructions to every state to make it clear that no one's religious sentiments and religious freedom are harmed.
The SGPC President also termed the termination of conditional representation of Punjab in the Bhakra Beas Management Board by the Central Government as a violation of Punjab's rights.
He said that the President of India Narendra Modi should play a serious role in curbing such incidents.