Amritsar, September 18, 2023: The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami has strongly condemned the act of disqualifying a Sikh player for not wearing a helmet in skating competition held at a Government Senior Secondary School in Patran area of Patiala district.
Harjinder Singh Dhami said that such an act, which hurts religious sentiments of Sikhs in a Sikh-majority state of Punjab, is a direct challenge to the Sikh identity. He said wearing a helmet has no place in Sikh Maryada (conduct) and if a Sikh player wants to participate in a sports competition without a helmet, then there should be no such restriction.
The SGPC President sought immediate apology from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and action against concerned officials of the Sports Department and management of skating competition, as such an act has been committed against a Sikh player in a Sikh-majority state.
He said the Punjab government should ensure inclusion of the concerned Sikh player disqualified from this skating competition and organise the games again, so that justice is done with him.
He said the SGPC is immediately sending a delegation to Banwala village in Patran sub-division of Patiala district, to meet the family of Sikh player Riaz Pratap Singh to get a complete report in this matter, which includes SGPC’s executive member Jarnail Singh Kartarpur, manager of Gurdwara Dukhniwaran Sahib, Patiala and pracharak (preacher).
