Dubai: An elderly Sikh man was forced to remove his Turban and Kirpan (religious dagger) by Abu Dhabi Police and was detained for 20 days without any reason. Identified as Dalvinder Singh from Kaithal in Haryana, the man was visiting on a tourist visa, The Tribune newspaper reported.
His son Manpreet Singh, living in Delhi, disclosed that the trouble started when the group visited the BAPS temple. He said that Abu Dhabi police stopped his father as they got suspicious about his kirpan. He further added that despite efforts by the tour guides and the temple management, the local police couldn’t be convinced about the religious significance of the kirpan.
“My father was taken into custody and blamed for arguing with the police, even as he didn’t understand the local language or English. During his detention, he was kept in inhumane conditions. His turban, kada, and kanga were forcibly removed. He was mentally harassed and not even allowed to change clothes inside the prison,” he told the newspaper.
Manpreet further alleged that despite being a vegetarian, his father was served meat and was kept along with the detainees who used to smoke. He has urged the Indian government to take up this issue with the UAE authorities.
