After a video of scuffle between a Shikh personal guard and Kolkata Police officer went viral, a team from Delhi’s Prabandhan Committee has reached Kolkata to register a complaint and demand fair investigation into the issue.
The incident, brought into attention by former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, happened when a Sikh personal guard of BJP leader was being detained by a Police official. During the tussle, the guard’s pagdi was seen falling into the ground, hurting the religious sentiments of many Sikhs.
It is in this connection that the team of Prabandhan Committee has reached Bengal. They did not waste any time and went straight to Howrah Police Station to lodge their complaint against the officer who disrespected the Pagdi.
They will also meet West Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankar during their stay.
However, West Bengal’s ruling party Trinamool Congress (TMC) is of the opinion that the plan to send the team of the Sikh committee has actually been authored by BJP.
Bhawanipore in Kolkata, Asansol and Siliguri have fair amount of Sikh voters and TMC thinks that the BJP is trying to woo them by making them believe that the Sikhs in the state are facing state oppression.
West Bengal Home Department, however, has stated that the Sikh man was detained after he was found with an illegal weapon in the middle of the rally on Thursday.
“Our Sikh brothers and sisters live here in West Bengal in perfect peace and harmony, in happiness and tranquility, with respect from all of us for their faith and practices. A recent incident when one isolated individual got caught with one illegally carried firearm amidst agitationists in an agitation that was not authorized is now being twisted out of context,being distorted,and being given communal colors in fractious and partisan interest,” the home department in an official statement said on Sunday.
“One political party is giving communal colour to the subject in narrow partisan interest in a manner that Bengal does not believe in. Policing was done as per law, but highest respect for the Sikh panth and ways from GOWB is affirmed,” the department added.
Our Sikh brothers and sisters live here in West Bengal in perfect peace and harmony, in happiness and tranquility, with respect from all of us for their faith and practices. A recent incident when one isolated individual got caught with..(1/3)
— HOME DEPARTMENT – GOVT. OF WEST BENGAL (@HomeBengal) October 11, 2020
The West Bengal Police had also given a clarification on Friday that they did not have any intention of hurting anyone’s religious sentiments.
The police department wrote on their official Twitter handle, “West Bengal Police respects all religions. The officer specifically asked him to put his Pagri back before the arrest. The attached photo has been clicked right before he was escorted to the Police Station. We remain committed to our duty to uphold law and order in the state.”
West Bengal Police respects all religions. The officer specifically asked him to put his Pagri back before the arrest. The attached photo has been clicked right before he was escorted to the Police Station. We remain committed to our duty to uphold law and order in the state(2/2) pic.twitter.com/BnTWztfDGW
— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) October 9, 2020
The Sikh man, named Balwinder Singh according to the West Bengal Police, is a personal guard of BJP leader in Barrackpore Priaynshu Singh. The police has said that Singh, a resident of Punjab, was carrying a weapon with its license limited to the Rajouri sector in Jammu.