Sikh man asked to take off kirpan in Australia bus
Team Udayavani, Jul 26, 2017, 12:35 PM IST
Melbourne (Australia): A Sikh man in Australia was asked to take off his kirpan and “get out” of a bus when a passenger called police in panic after seeing the ceremonial knife, a media report said today.
Police boarded a busy commuter bus in Auckland yesterday after a passenger was seen carrying a ceremonial knife, traditionally worn by Sikhs.
“We looked out the window and we could see and the police car behind us with sirens blaring and armed men all around us. One policeman stormed into the bus with a gun in his hand and said to the guy, ‘Get your hands up so we can see them and get out of the bus’,” New Zealand Herald quoted a witness as saying.
The passenger, thought to be in his 20s, was wearing a turban and had a long, curved “sword-like” kirpan strapped behind his back on the left side, which the police removed, said the witness.
A police spokeswoman said officers were called after a member of the public reported seeing a kirpan.
She said the armed offenders squad was not sent and the officers were not armed.
“Police spoke with the man, who is a Sikh.”
“He was in possession of a ceremonial kirpan, which is customary for Sikhs. The man, who is lawfully living in New Zealand, was polite and cooperative and no further action was taken,” the report said
The spokeswoman said the ceremonial kirpan was not confiscated.
A baptised Sikh has five articles of faith and the kirpan is one of them. The other four articles of faith are – kesh (uncut long hair), kanga (a comb), kara (an iron bracelet) and kachehra (under shorts).
Sikhism is a small but growing minority religion in Australia that can trace its origins in the nation to the 1830s.
Australia is home to more than 72,000 Sikh, a population that is expected to rise in this year’s census.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
Bomb disposal squad tackles ‘security incident’ at UK’s Gatwick Airport
Baku climate talks: The ‘X’ factor that could determine future of Global South
India-US ties have strong foundation: White House confident in navigating crisis over Adani bribery charges
PM Modi leaves for home after concluding three-nation visit
China announces new policy measures to protect its exports from Trump’s new tariff threat
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Air pollution: SC flags Delhi govt’s failure to implement GRAP-4 curbs on entry of trucks
Drugs worth Rs 6 crore seized in Bengaluru, five arrested
Siddaramaiah urges Nirmala Sitharaman to address NABARD’s loan cuts to farmers
Satwik-Chirag enter semifinals, Lakshya loses to Antonsen in China Masters
BJP stages protest against Congress govt in Karnataka over Waqf properties row
Thanks for visiting Udayavani
You seem to have an Ad Blocker on.
To continue reading, please turn it off or whitelist Udayavani.