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GS Paul
Amritsar, January 12
Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have opposed an Army’s proposal to introduce ballistic helmets for Sikh troopers, demanding that the transfer have to be withdrawn.
Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh has termed it an “attack on the Sikh identity” and requested the Ministry of Defence, the Centre and the Army to rethink the proposal because it was towards the Sikh “rehat maryada” (tenets).
He claimed the British had additionally tried to introduce the same proposal in the course of the World War II, however then Sikh troopers had rejected it.
“Wearing a cap or a helmet is strictly prohibited in the Sikh ‘maryada’. Turban is not just a piece of cloth, but a crown placed on the heads of the Sikhs by the Guru Sahib. It is a symbol of our identity. Replacing it with a helmet will be seen as an attempt to tarnish the Sikh identity. This cannot be tolerated at any cost,” he mentioned.
The Army has the Sikh regiment and Sikh mild infantry. Besides, there are a considerable variety of Sikh troopers within the Punjab regiment and different infantry models.
The Ministry of Defence has invited a request for proposal (RFP) for 12,730 ballistic helmets for Sikh troops. Out of those, 8,911 must be of enormous measurement and three,819 extra-large measurement.
The final date for submitting the bids is January 27.
Harjinder Singh Dhami, SGPC president, has written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, demanding the withdrawal of the choice.
“Ordering a Sikh soldier to take off his turban and wear a helmet on the pretext that it presumably gives better protection to his head is ignorance of the Sikh’s psyche,” he mentioned.
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