New Delhi: A Sikh student was detained at the University of North Carolina, in the USA, for allegedly carrying a kirpan.
The student first made the event public when he posted a video of it on Twitter and said that the police had handcuffed him because he had refused to let the officer take his Kirpan out of the miyaan.
He expressed his suffering in the title of the video. "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," said the student in the tweet.
The video has gained more than 57k likes and more than 17k retweets on the microblogging platform, Twitter, with several individuals reacting angrily to the incident, including Indian lawmaker and former BJP MLA, Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
"Despite numerous global campaigns to create awareness about Sikh Kakars, 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," BJP leader Sirsa tweeted.
"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," said Sirsa.
The student later tweeted that he got his Kirpan back and thanked everyone for their support on Twitter. "Update for the masses: I received my kirpan back thank you all for the continuous support," said the tweet.
What's a Kirpan?
The kirpan is one of the five Sikh Kakars' essential components.
The five symbols of the Khalsa, all beginning with the letter K, are listed on the website of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee as follows: the keshor long hair and beard, Kangha, a comb in the kesh to keep it tidy as opposed to the recluses who kept it matted as a sign that they had renounced the world, Kara, a steel bracelet, Kachch, short breeches, and Kirpan. These symbols are considered to be holy in the Sikh religion.
