Gurugram, August 27, 2023: As per media reports, a Sikh youth Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia, director of NGO Hemkunt Foundation, was allegedly denied entry into a posh Gurugram restaurant for carrying ‘kirpan’.
Sharing a video on X (formerly Twitter), Ahluwalia said, “Last night at Jalsa Indian and Ladakhi Kitchen in DLF Phase I, a place I visit for momos, I was met with sheer disbelief. The restaurant denied me entry because I was carrying ‘kirpan’. It’s astonishing to witness how people continue to discriminate in the 21st century, that too in a city like Gurugram.”
“Let’s be real! It’s high time that such establishments catch up with the times. Discrimination has no place in the diverse society we live in,” Ahluwalia added.
The Jalsa management was yet to respond to the allegations. Meanwhile, describing it as a disturbing incident, Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue necessary instructions, ensuring such acts are not repeated.
“Disturbing report of a Gursikh denied entry into a restaurant in Gurugram for sporting a ‘kirpan’ points towards the need to sensitise society about the symbols of Sikh faith. Such acts are condemnable and create a sense of insecurity among minorities.
I urge @PIBHomeAffairs to issue necessary instructions, ensuring such acts are not repeated,” Badal wrote on X. – The Tribune reported.
