US Authorities Not Allowing Some Deportees To Wear Turban? Top Sikh Body Irked

New Delhi: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly criticized US authorities on Sunday for allegedly preventing Sikh deportees, part of the second batch of illegal Indian immigrants from the US, from wearing turbans. 

This statement followed the emergence of social media footage showing Sikh deportees without turbans while completing their immigration procedures at Amritsar airport. 

A US military plane carrying 116 Indian deportees landed at Amritsar airport late Saturday night. One deportee claimed they were handcuffed and had their legs shackled during the flight. 

Also Read: Second US Military Aircraft Carrying 116 Deported Indian Immigrants Lands in Amritsar at Midnight

This batch included 65 deportees from Punjab, 33 from Haryana, and 8 from Gujarat. SGPC officials, who had been assigned to provide 'langar' and bus services to the deportees, supplied 'dastars' (turbans) to the Sikh deportees. 

One deportee said that upon arrival at Amritsar airport, they were not wearing turbans, explaining that they had been instructed to remove them when entering the US illegally. 

SGPC General Secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal condemned the US authorities for allegedly denying them the right to wear turbans, expressing regret that deportees had been brought in shackles and without their turbans. 

He also stated that the SGPC would raise the issue with US authorities, emphasizing that the turban is an integral part of Sikh identity.

Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also condemned the US authorities for sending Sikh deportees without turbans. He urged the Ministry of External Affairs to take immediate action with the US government to prevent such incidents from happening again.