London, United Kingdom (June 08, 2014): The British Preme Minister David Cameron has announced that the Sikhs in the UK will be exempted from wearing hard hats at construction sites.
![A Sikh doing brickwork on a construction site in Leicester (UK) [File photo]](http://www.sikhsiyasat.net/wp-content/uploads/Sikhs-on-Contruction-sites-in-UK-300x217.png)
A Sikh doing brickwork on a construction site in Leicester (UK) [File photo]
According to information availed from various media reports, Cameron announced this important news while attending a Vaisakhi reception he hosted at 10, Downing Street last night. He said, “From now on Sikhs don’t have to wear hard hats at construction sites in our country,”
He added that the government had already stopped searching of turbans in the UK.
Recalling his visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Cameron said, “I know how much pain there was after the Blue Star Operation (in 1984).”
He added that he wanted adequate representation of Sikhs “everywhere” – including the Army and Judiciary.
In a report published by Zee News on its website, he said, “this year marks the 160 years since the first Sikh arrived in Britain. Since then, the story of British Sikhs has been one of success – of many thousands of people making a positive contribution in so many ways.
He said, “As we celebrate the Sikhs contribution to Britain today, let’s also reflect on what their ancestors did for this nation in the past. A hundred years ago, well over 1.2 million men from India many of them Sikhs, fought alongside Britain the First World War. Many fought and fell for the freedom we enjoy today and we must never forget that.”
India’s High Commissioner to the UK Ranjan Mathai, leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul, Lord Navnit Dholakia, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords and Dr Rami Ranger, winner of record five Queens’ awards for exports were among those who attended the function.