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By India Today News Desk: A day after a video emerged showing a girl being refused entry into the Golden Temple due to a Tricolour painted on her face, the guard in the middle of the row said he denied entry to the girl because she was wearing a skirt and her legs were exposed.
The issue of ‘maryada’ or decorum is new as even the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in its remarks on Monday said “…The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn’t have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag”.
“She was wearing a skirt. I told her about ‘maryada’ (decorum) and asked her to cover her body,” claimed the Golden Temple staffer, who barred a girl from entering the temple as she had a Tricolour painted on her face.
“Legs should be completely covered. Everybody is welcome at Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) but must follow the decorum of the place,” said Sabjit Singh in a video.
Sabjit’s clarification comes after a video of him stirred controversy on social media. In the video, he is heard saying to the girl, “It isn’t India, it is Punjab.”
Apart from the staffer’s clarification, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the authority which manages Sikh shrines in India, also tendered an apology.
Reacting to the controversy, the general secretary of the SGPC, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, said there was no discrimination against devotees, and that people from any region, caste, or religion were welcome to pay obeisance.
“The staffer was provoked. Being the general secretary of the SGPC, I apologise, the devotee faced misbehaviour. However, the motive of trolls on social media was shameful,” said Grewal.
“This is a Sikh shrine. Every religious place has its own decorum…We welcome everyone…We apologise if an official misbehaved…The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn’t have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag,” Grewal said.
While the SGPC authorities avoided commenting on the “Punjab not India remark”, senior BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa reacted sharply to the controversy.
The BJP leader said, “Behaviour of Sewadar (staffer) with a devotee wasn’t appropriate”.
“If there was something objectionable on her part, Sewadar should have handled it politely. His comment was highly condemnable. The SGPC should train its staff that attends visitors,” he added.
Many people who visit the Attari-Wagah border for the Beating Retreat ceremony get Tricolour painted on their faces and then visit the Golden Temple. This could be one such case.
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