The Ministry of Civil Aviation
has provided some special facilities to the Sikhs. The Sikhs are now allowed to
carry Kirpans. According to the orders, Sikh passengers are now allowed to
carry Kirpan during air travel. The ministry has issued guidelines for the
same. In the guidelines, it states that the length of the blade should not
exceed 15.24cm. Passengers will be able to take a saber up to 22.86 cm. The
permission has been granted for domestic passenger aircraft.
The
guidelines have been issued at the request of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak
Committee (SGPC). The ministry of Aviation had issued an order on March 4,
ordering the Sikh employees not to carry Kirpans. Advocate Harjinder Singh
Dhami, president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), has
warned the Indian government to take care of the religious freedom of Sikhs
before issuing any order.
Advocate
Dhami wrote a letter to the Ministry of Aviation on March 9, objecting that the
Ministry of Aviation is trying to snatch the freedom of Sikhs. A kirpan is one
of the five K’s worn in Sikhism. In the letter written to Jyotiraditya Scindia
by President Dhami said, “The government of India should never forget that the
Sikhs have remained at the forefront in making sacrifices for the freedom of
the country.” Within 5 days of sending the letter, the Ministry of Aviation has
withdrawn its order.
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Dhami said that the Government
should not issue any order against the religious freedom of Sikhs or any person
in the future. Government should have thought before issuing this order.