1 arrested in Sikh boy's forced haircut issue
Date: 08/24/2006 News Source: http://www.timesnow.tv
Date: 08/24/2006 News Source: http://www.timesnow.tv
- http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/news.nsf/7fab1fc7c90b036e87256c4f005ea950/609a70707284b7eb872571d4006b3fb0/Body/0.84%21OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg
- Up in arms in the Lok Sabha too
A day after protests much across north India, Arjun Meena, accused of assaulting the Sikh boy Inderjeet, was arrested in New Delhi earlier this morning and has been taken to Jaipur for questioning.
Arjun Meena was picked up by a team of the Rajasthan Police, led by Superintendent of Police Narendra Meena, and taken to Jaipur.
The incident had taken place in Jaipur on Monday when Class XII student Indrapreet Singh was abducted on his way to school, beaten and got his hair forcibly cut apparently because he stood up for a girl who was being stalked.
This issue also rocked the Lok Sabha leading to its adjournment twice today. The issue was raised by Congress member Madhusudan Mistry as soon as the House met for the day. He alleged that minorities were not safe in BJP-ruled states, evoking sharp protests from Opposition benches.
Home Minister Shivraj Patil assured agitated members in the Rajya Sabha that Government would take note of such incidents hurting religious sentiments. Responding to concerns expressed in the Upper House by emotionally-charged members, particularly from the Sikh community, Patil appealed to people not to fall prey to nefarious designs of certain elements to divide society by whipping up religious passions.
Opposition leader L K Advani has demanded an inquiry on the school principal’s role in Sikh boy’s forced haircut issue.
The protests spread
Meanwhile, the Sikh community in Mumbai too staged a morcha today.
About 7 to 8,000 Sikh men joined in on the peace march which extended from GTB Nagar to Dadar Gurudwara. Police were deployed to ensure that the rally went off peacefully. Some demonstrators carrying ceremonial swords tried to stop traffic momentarily along the way, by lying down across the road, others briefly staged a mock slaying. But the march ended soon after noon without any untoward occurrences.
http://www.sikhnet.com/sikhnet/news.nsf/7fab1fc7c90b036e87256c4f005ea950/609a70707284b7eb872571d4006b3fb0/Body/0.3AF6%21OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=jpg
An Indian Sikh attends a protest outside the embassy of Saudi Arabia in New Delhi August 24, 2006. The Sikhs were protesting after six teenagers were accused of forcibly cutting the hair of a Sikh boy in Rajasthan, and against the reported harassment of Sikhs living in Saudi Arabia, who were being asked to cut their hair. REUTERS/Desmond Boylan
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Lawmakers disrupted the Indian parliament and angry members of the minority Sikh community staged street protests on Thursday after a Sikh boy's hair was cut forcibly, witnesses said.
Uncut hair covered by a turban is an article of faith of the Sikh religion, founded more than 500 years ago in the northern Indian region of Punjab.
Protests began in northern India this week after six teenagers were accused of forcibly cutting the hair of a Sikh boy in Jaipur city, capital of Rajasthan state.
The six boys were apparently upset about the Sikh boy's friendship with a local girl, police said.
"This is painful and we don't accept it," said Rana Gurjeet Singh, a Sikh member of parliament, as lawmakers accused the Rajasthan government of failing to protect religious minorities.
The incident has led to demonstrations by Sikhs in Rajasthan, Punjab and New Delhi, with some men belonging to the community brandishing sacred swords in the streets.
On Wednesday, Sikhs in Punjab forced shops to close and stopped buses in protest.
"This attack caused me a lot of pain. It is an attack on the Sikhs and I want justice," Indrapreet Singh, the victim, told a local TV channel.
One of the six boys accused of being involved in the incident was arrested on Thursday in New Delhi. It was not clear what the charges were.
Sikhs constitute nearly two percent of mainly Hindu India's 1.1 billion population.
