New York: One of the most renowned US universities has allowed Sikh students to wear kirpans, on campus. The decision comes after two months, a video went viral where a Sikh student was arrested for wearing a kirpan.
The incident took place at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. The incident drew heavy criticism and as the video went viral, as people trolled the authorities.
The video was initially posted first on Twitter by the student who claimed that the police detained him as he refused to remove his kirpan.
The university released a statement on Nov 21 in which it stated that students will be allowed to carry kirpans on campus within a blade length of 3 inches and the weapons need to be closed to their body in a sheath. The statement was signed by the chancellor.
The statement said, “The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, with support from Institutional Integrity, also conducted additional awareness training this week with our police department and will continue its work to expand our cultural education and training opportunities for all of campus,” PTI reported.
It further mentioned that it might approve carrying longer kirpan in the future.
The statement continued, “Over the past several weeks, we have engaged in dialogue with representatives from the local and global Sikh communities about how we could modify University policies to honor the tenets of religious freedom while protecting the safety of our campus.”
The university expressed its gratitude to the Sikh leaders for helping the university’s policy change.
