Post by gs lamba on Jun 28, 2004 22:33:17 GMT
Sikh youth in Denmark facing case for carrying sword turns to Akal Takht, NCM
An excerpt from:
Indian Express, Chandigarh Newsline
Sunday, 20th June 2004
CHANDIGARH - A Sikh youth in Denmark, who has been told that no one, not even a baptised Sikh, can carry a `kirpan' in that country, is now contesting the case in a Copenhagen court and has reached across to Akal Takht (Search) jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti (Search) and National Commission for Minorities for support.
Sardar Ripudaman Singh:
Sardar Ripudaman Singh is currently a PhD student at the Department of Human Genetics, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He is an active member of the Sikh community. He can be contacted by email at: ripudaman_s@yahoo.com.
Ripudaman Singh, who hails from Jalandhar and is in Denmark for last three years pursuing his academic career, had deposited his `kirpan', worn by all baptised Sikhs across the world as part of five Sikh symbols called `kakaars', when he went to the US embassy a few days back.
However, a security officer called the local police who maintained that it was illegal to carry any sort of knife in Denmark and wanted to confiscate the kirpan. Ripudaman's pleas that the little six-inches-long sword was a religious symbol and was mandatory for any baptised Sikh to carry at all times, cut no ice.
G.S.Lamba, well known Sikh legislative affairs expert and editor of community journal Sant Sipahi, who is also Ripudaman's father and was in Denmark at the time of the incident, told The Indian Express over phone that the police offered to let his son ``confess'' to carrying an illegal weapon and pay the fine to end the matter.
``There are thousands of baptised Sikhs in Denmark and police's interpretation of the sword worn by baptised Sikhs as a knife carried illegally will impact thee community badly,'' Lamba said.
Ripudaman, in missives sent to Akal Takht jathedar Vedanti, has decided to contest the case. The Copenhagen City Court has summoned Ripudaman on June 29. In the summons received by Ripudaman, Carina Wagner, Senior Assistant of the court, said if he did not appear, the case could be settled ``without the possibility for you to discuss it further.''
Tarlochan Singh, Chairman of National Minorities Commission of India, the country's top government forum for protection of minorities' rights, has in a communication to Lamba said he was taking up the matter with the Denmark embassy in Delhi and Indian embassy in Denmark.
Ripudaman said he has travelled across Denmark and other European Union countries but has never faced any problem due to his sword, a mark of baptism, earlier
An excerpt from:
Indian Express, Chandigarh Newsline
Sunday, 20th June 2004
CHANDIGARH - A Sikh youth in Denmark, who has been told that no one, not even a baptised Sikh, can carry a `kirpan' in that country, is now contesting the case in a Copenhagen court and has reached across to Akal Takht (Search) jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti (Search) and National Commission for Minorities for support.
Sardar Ripudaman Singh:
Sardar Ripudaman Singh is currently a PhD student at the Department of Human Genetics, University of Aarhus, Denmark. He is an active member of the Sikh community. He can be contacted by email at: ripudaman_s@yahoo.com.
Ripudaman Singh, who hails from Jalandhar and is in Denmark for last three years pursuing his academic career, had deposited his `kirpan', worn by all baptised Sikhs across the world as part of five Sikh symbols called `kakaars', when he went to the US embassy a few days back.
However, a security officer called the local police who maintained that it was illegal to carry any sort of knife in Denmark and wanted to confiscate the kirpan. Ripudaman's pleas that the little six-inches-long sword was a religious symbol and was mandatory for any baptised Sikh to carry at all times, cut no ice.
G.S.Lamba, well known Sikh legislative affairs expert and editor of community journal Sant Sipahi, who is also Ripudaman's father and was in Denmark at the time of the incident, told The Indian Express over phone that the police offered to let his son ``confess'' to carrying an illegal weapon and pay the fine to end the matter.
``There are thousands of baptised Sikhs in Denmark and police's interpretation of the sword worn by baptised Sikhs as a knife carried illegally will impact thee community badly,'' Lamba said.
Ripudaman, in missives sent to Akal Takht jathedar Vedanti, has decided to contest the case. The Copenhagen City Court has summoned Ripudaman on June 29. In the summons received by Ripudaman, Carina Wagner, Senior Assistant of the court, said if he did not appear, the case could be settled ``without the possibility for you to discuss it further.''
Tarlochan Singh, Chairman of National Minorities Commission of India, the country's top government forum for protection of minorities' rights, has in a communication to Lamba said he was taking up the matter with the Denmark embassy in Delhi and Indian embassy in Denmark.
Ripudaman said he has travelled across Denmark and other European Union countries but has never faced any problem due to his sword, a mark of baptism, earlier
