Sikh students asked to remove 'Karas'; School principal, teachers suspended

Asking a Sikh to remove the kara is a violation of his religious freedom,” Harpreet said, adding that the members had submitted a complaint against the school.

After students were asked to remove hijabs on school gates in Telangana, Sikh students have been asked to remove their ‘karas’ before entering the class in Jalandhar. Tension prevailed at CT Public School here on Monday morning after a teacher allegedly asked some Sikh students to remove their ‘karas’ before entering the class.

Teacher and Principal asked to apologise

Taking note of the incident, Sikh Talmel Committee members reached the school and sought an apology from the teacher and the principal. Police were also called, according to The Tribune report.

Harpreet Singh, a member of the Sikh Talmel Committee, told the media that one of their members had come to drop off his granddaughter to school on Monday morning. He said that after some time he saw his granddaughter returning with her ‘kara’ in her hands. When asked about the reason behind this, she replied that her class teacher had asked her to remove it.

Following the incident, Singh called the members of the committee. On reaching the classroom, the teacher was found holding around 10 ‘karas’ in her hand.

After facing the confrontation by the committee members, the teacher said that she was following the instructions directed by the principal. “Asking a Sikh to remove the kara is a violation of his religious freedom,” Harpreet said, adding that the members had submitted a complaint against the school.

Teachers, principal sacked

Meanwhile, CT Group Managing Director Manbir Singh said that recently a fight broke out between two pupils of higher classes, following which one of them hit the other with a ‘kara’, injuring him.

“Following this, a staff member recommended the student to wear a regular ‘kara’ instead of a heavier one for safety reasons. He was unaware that it could offend religious sentiments,” he added.

The principal and two teachers involved in the incident have been sacked by the management.  “We respect everyone and never intend to offend anyone's feelings,” he said.

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