Turban row: Sikh leadership sent ‘wrong message’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 27
London-based writer Nirpal Singh Shergill, who challenged the ban on turban in French schools, said the French government had not given a firm assurance to the union government on lifting the ban on turban in government-aided French schools.

He told The Tribune on phone from London today that it would have been better had the union government told French President Nicolas Sarkozy that he would have to lift the ban as it was question of human rights of part of Indian community. He said France which is making efforts to sell defence hardware worth several hundred crores to India could not afford to annoy India at this stage.

He added it was of great concern that certain leaders wanted to get this issue resolved by flashing unsheathed swords while holding demonstrations. He said such leaders should realise they were causing considerable damage to the cause of the turban and also to the Sikh community by such actions. Flashing of swords would send wrong message not only in France, but also in other parts of the world where Sikhs were settled in large numbers.

He said it was most unfortunate most of the Sikh organisations were engaged in outsmarting each other on the turban issue instead of representing the case to the authorities concerned in a proper manner. The collective effort on the part of various Sikh organisations should have resulted into some positive result, he added. Instead of a collective effort, he said efforts by certain leaders and their organisations at the individual level must have sent wrong message to the authorities concerned. On getting so many representations on the issue, they must have realised what was happening around, said Shergill. He said Sikhs had been facing discrimination in Britain, Holland, Germany, North America and other parts of the world.