New Delhi: A row erupted at an exam centre in Madhya Pradesh when an Amritdhari Sikh woman was asked to remove her turban during security checks before appearing for the exam. The incident occurred in Ratlam district, where the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPCS) was conducting an exam.
The Sikh woman is identified as Gurleen Kaur, an Amritdhari Sikh (an initiated Sikh). The incident took place at a school that was converted into an exam centre for the MPPCS exam on Sunday.
Moments later, when Gurleen was asked to remove the dumala (turban), the local Sikh community received the news and arrived at the spot. The chaos escalated when community members gathered outside the examination centre, expressing strong condemnation over the issue.
After that, police and administration officials also arrived at the scene. The Sikh community demanded an apology from the staff over the incident. A woman staff member allegedly asked Gurleen to remove her turban.
The officials and the Sikh community were engaged in a long discussion about the matter, where Sub-Divisional Magistrate Prateek Sonkar and Centre Superintendent Subash Kumawat apologised in front of the Sikh community.
“The turban was inspected and returned immediately. Authorities assured the community that the staff have been warned to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future,” Subhash Kumawat, centre head, said.
Officials also confirmed that the woman staff didn’t have any intention to hurt any religious sentiments; she was just following the guidelines.
After the officials apologised, the matter was resolved between both sides.
Gurleen arrived in Ratlam on March 1 with her relatives to appear for the exam. Her examination was on the afternoon shift. She is a resident of Chittorgarh in Rajasthan.