PGI forced Sikh students to remove articles of faith

Chandigarh, Punjab (August 20, 2013): It is learnt that the parents of some Sikh students have alleged that their children were asked to remove religious symbols like kirpan and kada to gain entry at some centres here for the Post Graduate Institute Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh entrance test.

The candidates, who also included girls, were later allowed to take the test yesterday and were also compensated for the loss of time, they said. The institute officials, however, said there was no intention to hurt religious feelings of anyone, and it was part of the measures to check cheating during the examination. Last year, a cheating racket was busted during the post-graduate entrance test conducted by the institute. Students were found copying using hi-tech gadgets, earphones and other miniature electronic devices.

Meanwhile condemning the incident, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has reportedly requested Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil to take stern action duty officers at these centres for “harassing” the students. In a statement issued at Amritsar, SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar pleaded for stringent punishment for those who forced Sikh students to remove their ‘kirpan’ and ‘kada’ to gain entry to the examination hall.