Sikhs live in peace in West Bengal, says state govt over turban episode

The West Bengal government on Sunday said that a political outfit was deliberately giving "communal colour" to last week's incident involving a Sikh man, whose turban came off during a scuffle with the police, to serve its "narrow partisan interest".

The state home department, in a tweet, said the person was arrested in accordance with the law for carrying illegal firearms during BJP's march to the secretariat.

"Our Sikh brothers and sisters live in West Bengal in perfect peace and harmony, in happiness and tranquillity, with respect from all of us for their faith and practices.

"A recent incident when one isolated individual got caught with one illegally carried firearm amidst agitationists in an agitation that was not authorised is now being twisted out of context, being distorted, and being given communal colours in fractious and partisan interest (sic)," the home department wrote on its Twitter handle.

Also read: Row over Sikh Man’s turban being pulled; West Bengal Police denies allegation

It further asserted that the state government has the highest regard for the Sikhs and their ways.

"One political party is giving communal colour to the subject in narrow partisan interest in a manner that Bengal does not believe in. Policing was done as per law, but highest respect for the Sikh panth and ways from GOWB is affirmed," the department said on the microblogging site.

Controversy erupted after visuals of the police beating up a Sikh man during BJP's protest on Thursday went viral on social media, with a section of Netizens claiming that the police had pulled his turban during the scuffle.

The saffron brigade claimed that the incident has hurt religious sentiments.

Tagging Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh tweeted, "Please look into the matter. This just isn't done."

Balbinder Singh, a resident of Punjab, is a former Indian Army soldier. He is currently employed as a private security officer of a BJP leader, the saffron party claimed.

The West Bengal Police, on its part, said that the "pagri had fallen off automatically".

"The concerned person was carrying firearms in yesterday's (Thursday's) protest. The Pagri had fallen off automatically in the scuffle that ensued, without any attempt to do so by our officer. It is never our intention to hurt the sentiments of any community," the Bengal police tweeted.