New Delhi: Questioning the soft approach of government towards harassment of Sikhs in foreign lands, Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member Parliament, gave a notice for suspension of Question Hour over the issue, on the fourth day of Monsoon Session of Parliament, here today.

Speaking on the Notice she said, time and again, incidents of harassment of Sikhs worldover she began by saying, “thousands of the Sikhs in their everyday life have to bear the brunt of hate crimes because of their mistaken identity due to their attire.  In Wisconsin when some Sikhs were peacefully praying in their temples, people came inside, butchered them and killed them.  Repeatedly, in countries like France they are humiliated, their children are not allowed to study in Government schools or a country like Italy again-and-again humiliates them at every airport of theirs in Italy.” 

Decrying the removal of turban of Mr. Manjit Singh GK, Chief of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee at Rome Airport, Mrs. Badal said that it is the third incident at Italian Airport during last one year. Quoting the stark examples of ill-treatment meted out to Sikhs at Italian Airport, she said that earlier, it happened with Sardar Amritinder Singh, Coach of Golfer Jeev Milkha Singh who was asked by the airport security staff at Milan to remove his turban not just once on his arrival at Milan Airport but shockingly at the time of his departure too. Similarly, it happened to a Sikh senior commander with Jet Airways Capt Dhupia when he was asked to take off his turban during security check for his Flight 141 to Delhi from the Milan airport and now it has happened with the President of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee who was not only asked to remove his turban but was also detained at the airport for nearly 24 hours on his refusal to do so.