Chandigarh, November 10, 2024 – The Global Sikh Council (GSC), a coalition of 31 national Sikh organizations worldwide, has voiced serious concern over the recent directive by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that prohibits Sikh employees at Indian airports from wearing Sikhs essential articles of faith (Kakars), the Kirpans, while on duty. The GSC pointed out that this directive impacts ‘Amritdhari’ (Baptised) Sikh employees across the Indian airports who are now barred from entering terminal areas post-security screening, impeding their professional as well as religious responsibilities which amount to discrimination on jobs.
In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Damodar Das Modi and Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, the GSC President Lady Singh Kanwaljit Kaur, OBE, called for the immediate withdrawal of this selective directive for the Sikh employees. She stressed that the BCAS order, dated October 30, 2024, discriminates against Sikh employees, allowing passengers to carry kirpans with blades under six inches on domestic flights but prohibiting the same for Sikh employees within airport restricted areas.
She said “This selective directive unfairly limits Sikh employees’ rights to practice their faith while on duty. Moreover, countries like the UK and Canada have successfully balanced security protocols with religious freedoms, permitting Sikh airport employees to wear Sikh essential ‘Kakars’, including the kirpans, in restricted areas. We urge the Indian government to adopt a similar inclusive approach to ensure religious rights are respected for all employees.”
The GSC has asked the BJP-led central government to remove this restrictive clause from the BCAS order and permit Sikh employees to wear kirpans and ‘Kakars’ while on duty, which would safeguard both their religious freedoms and professional dignity. The GSC president Kanwaljit Kaur emphasized that, in a diverse and inclusive nation like India with its large Sikh population, upholding the religious rights of Sikh passengers and employees aligns with India’s constitutional protections for religious freedom.
In the letter she also highlighted that ‘Amritdhari’ Sikh passengers traveling internationally from India, are often asked to remove small, symbolic Kirpans worn around the neck and other items such as the Kara, Khanda and Kanga (comb) at security checkpoints. This practice, she argued, undermines the respect for Sikhs essential religious symbols.
Additionally, the GSC has asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Harjinder Singh Dhami to advocate for the religious rights of Sikh passengers and employees at Indian airports to ensure their freedom to wear symbolic articles of faith is preserved and dignity is respected.