Expresses regrets, says matter being investigated to ascertain facts and responsibilities
India summoned the Italian ambassador here on Wednesday and conveyed its “serious unhappiness” over golfer Jeev Milkha Singh's coach being asked to take off his turban during a security check at the Milan airport.
Ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice di Monteforte expressed his regrets over the incident and said the matter was being investigated to ascertain facts and responsibilities.
“The matter is very disturbing. It has already been brought to the highest level in Rome and Milan. Investigation is on to ascertain facts and responsibilities. To this, personally I add my deep regrets,'' the ambassador told journalists after meeting senior MEA official Vivek Katju.
On Tuesday, Jeev Milkha Singh's coach Amritinder Singh was asked to take off his turban while undergoing a security check at the Milan airport. This was the second time in a week that the coach was subjected to this treatment.
While there was widespread indignation over the incident, Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa said the ambassador had termed it a “regrettable but isolated incident.”
Around 10,000 Indians live in Italy and many of them are Sikhs. “I would like to mention that regulations concerning security checks at Italian airports have specific provisions for Sikhs which are fully compatible with the religious sentiments of your community,” wrote the ambassador to Mr. Bajwa.
“I can confirm to you that I have personally taken up the matter with competent Italian authorities in order to ensure that existing rules of procedure concerning security checks will in future be implemented by all officers on duty at Malpensa [Milan] airport,'' he said.
In the Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said the incident was being taken up as a “national insult.” He was responding to S.S. Ahluwalia's (Bharatiya Janata Party) charge that the government was unable to convince Italy that the turban for Sikhs was a symbol of religious respect.
“Why this lip service?”
He also pointed out that this incident had occurred despite the ambassador expressing regrets over the earlier episode on March 15 at the same airport.
“What is the use of the Italian envoy's regret? What is the use of lip service?” he wanted to know.
To this Mr. Krishna said: “Whenever incidents of this kind have been reported to us, we have immediately taken them up with all the seriousness that they deserved so that they do not recur. But in some countries, they keep recurring unfortunately.”
The turban of Sikhs shows the majesty and diversity that India stands for. It is not a piece of cloth but a symbol of national pride, he added.
The Minister shared the concern of members over attacks on Indian nationals overseas and assured them that the welfare of Indians going for jobs and studies abroad was of the utmost importance to the government.
Keywords: turban issue, Amritinder Singh, airport security check
This is an unwanted furore and it was not necessary for the Government of India to jump into the fray. The turban of a Sikh is not a religious symbol. Sikhs started to wear turban during the period of their 10th Guru, Gobind Singh. Till that time noble Rajputs and Moghuls only were allowed to wear an ornate turban. As a social revolution Guru Gobind Singh asked his followers to start wearing it. The essential five things of a Sikh is kesh(hair), kangi(comb), karra( steel wristlet), kachchera( dress) and kripan(a knife). Turban does not come in that. They are supposed to preserve the hair and beyond that there is nothing. All those Sikh sportsmen just tie a small piece of cloth on the top knot of their hair. They do not wear a turban while playing. So there is no religious basis for not removing the turban. In this case the only thing was that the ego of the coach was pricked when asked to remove his turban. For that to call the Ambassador of a country to the ministry is all too foolish thing to do. It was not an insult to a particular religion. For the sake of air security all the travellers should cooperate instead of making an issue of prestige.
As all of you know,a suicide bomber got his bomb hidden in his shoe and it failed to explode when the plane was airborne.Fortunately,lives of hundreds of passengers were saved.Am I safe in a plane when passengers are not properly checked by security staff? We read all the time in our news papers some INDIAN VIP was not spared by security people in foreign airports.I do not see any reason why anybody to be spared except some head of states and few selected dignitaries. I strongly feel safety of passengers are more important and security people are doing their best to ensure that.
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