Bengaluru College cites High Court order, asks Sikh student to remove Turban
Bengaluru: In the background of the ongoing Hijab row in the state, Times of India reported that the Mount Carmel PU College in the city asked a 17-year-old Amritdhari (Baptized) Sikh girl student to remove her Turban in compliance with the dress code prescribed by the institution.
The College claimed that it was following the interim order released on February 10, by the Karnataka High Court which states, “Pending consideration of all these petitions, we restrain all the students regardless of their religion or faith from wearing saffron shawls (Bhagwa), scarfs, hijab, religious flags or the like within the classroom, until further orders”, in the point 10 of the released order.
According to TOI, the college authorities asked the student to remove her Turban on February 16, stating the HC order. However the student refused to comply, it is learned. The parents of the Sikh student have clarified that the College had been accommodating thus far and had not discriminated against their daughter. They insisted that the state government and High Court needs to issue clarifications about the interim order.
As per the IANS report, the issue began when G. Sriram, deputy director of PU Education, who was inspecting the college during practical exams on Monday, directed two students to remove their hijab as per the court order. This led to outrage among the students and they demanded that the order be applied equally to all students without any exceptions. Parents of college students who were asked to remove hijab by the authorities have demanded that the order of the High Court must be enforced equally on all students.
According to the Times of India Report, a Mount Carmel PU College spokesperson said, "We have had no issues with the girl wearing the turban so far. When the college reopened on February 16, we informed all students about the high court order and we went on with our normal activities. On Tuesday, when the DDPU (North) visited the college he found a group of girls in hijab and told them to come to the office and told them about the high court order. These girls have been demanding now that no girls should be allowed to wear their religious symbols and therefore the Sikh girl also should not be allowed to wear the turban. We spoke to the girl's father and later mailed him. We informed them about the order and told them to abide by it. The father responded that it (the turban) is an integral part of their life. We did not want to interfere, but the other girls have been insisting on uniformity and hence we sent the mail," they said.
The student’s father Gurcharan Singh, who is a senior level employee in a major IT company and has been living in Karnataka for the past 17 years, told the TOI that he told college authorities she would not remove her turban.
"She has never faced any discrimination in the college till now. Now, also they seem to be caught in a piquant situation while responding to the high court order," he told TOI.
He wrote to the college that the high court order did not mention anything about ‘Sikh turban' and it should not be misunderstood. "However, I am also in touch with our community advocates and various organizations," he said, urging the authorities to allow his daughter with her turban to attend classes. After the latest interaction with college authorities, Gurcharan Singh has approached senior advocate HS Phoolka and sought his opinion.
"I am sending my opinion to him that neither the HC order nor government order bars Sikh turban," said Phoolka, when contacted by TOI on Wednesday evening. On Wednesday, the college met the girl's father but the meeting was inconclusive
Gurcharan Singh has apprised Jeetendra Singh, administrator of Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Ulsoor, Bengaluru, about the issue.
The content of the letter revealed by the TOI states, "Asking a Sikh to remove his/her turban is a big insult to a Sikh and entire Sikh community. We also stand by those Muslim girls/women who want to cover their head with scarf/dupatta as a part of their faith and request authorities to allow them to do so as it was already practised in our country and it does not cause any trouble to other people. The colour of the scarf and dastaar (turban) can match the uniform of the institution," he wrote.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Ex-Army officer assaulted, robbed at gunpoint by woman he met through matrimonial website
Mathura(UP), Apr 5 (PTI): A retired Army colonel from Haryana has filed a police complaint here, alleging that he was held hostage, assaulted, looted and forced to participate in an "obscene video" at gunpoint with a woman he met through a matrimonial website, police said on Saturday.
The woman from Mathura, who was allegedly in on the plan to rob him, was working with other accomplices, the ex-armyman said in his complaint filed on Thursday.
According to Barsana Station House Officer (SHO) Raj Kamal Singh, Colonel Rajneesh Soni (retired), a resident of Gurugram, reported that he was contacted by a woman from Barsana on a matrimonial website in January. The woman allegedly agreed to marry him, and they began communicating.
The woman allegedly persuaded the colonel to visit Barsana on January 25, requesting that he visit the Radharani temple. When he arrived, she arranged for his stay at a guest house and took him on a tour of the area, including a visit to the temple, the complainant said.
After returning to the guest house, the woman and her accomplices allegedly told the colonel that her brother had been involved in an accident and they needed to leave immediately. They then led him to a waiting car.
"Once outside the town limits, the colonel alleges that he was attacked by the occupants of the car. They seized his phone, physically assaulted him, and forced him to contact relatives and friends to transfer money," the SHO said.
"He was then taken back to the guest house, where he was allegedly forced to participate in obscene videos and photographs at gunpoint. He was threatened that the videos would be made public if he reported the incident," the officer said.
The colonel has alleged that his purse, bag, gold chain, debit card and Rs. 12,000 in cash were stolen from the guest house.
After an unsuccessful attempt at locating the perpetrators himself, the colonel finally reported the incident to the Barsana police two days ago, he said.
"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and all facts are being investigated. Further action will be taken as per facts found in the investigation," the SHO said.
