The West Bengal protests against the current Mamata Banerjee government over the atrocities took a whole new turn. Earlier, the protesters were sprayed with water cannons, allegedly having chemical in it. The way the government has dealt with rising unemployment and discrimination is out of the bounds. A proof of manhandling a specific community’s personal sentiments is this. In a viral video, a cop pulled a Sikh’s turban and then pushed him to the ground. It not only made the Sikhs roar but questioned the safety of minorities, as well. The community which has time in and time out helped others, why is it so hard to respect something which is universal of its sanctity?
The cop pulled the Sikh’s turban in the West Bengal protests
The West Bengal cops while barricading the BJP protesters, encountered a Sikh at their hands. The Sikh, namely, Balwinder Singh of Bathinda, took part in BJP’s mega protest in Howrah. The incident hurt the community’s religious sentiments. Multiple BLP leaders tweeted showing their detest at the act. From politicians to Punjab CM, to Sikh cricketer Harbhajan Singh, all lashed out. They want answers from Mamata Banerjee.
Plz have a look into this matter @MamataOfficial this isn’t done 😡😡 https://t.co/mKrbQhn1qy
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) October 9, 2020
सरदार बलविंदर सिंह जी की पगड़ी खींच कर बंगाल पुलिस ने देश के सभी सिखों का अपमान किया है, आज ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि बंगाल में पुनः मुग़लों का शासन स्थापित हो गया है।
क्या बंगाल में एक समुदाय विशेष को छोड़ कर बाकी किसी की भी धार्मिक भावनाओं का सम्मान नही रहा? pic.twitter.com/uYjCl7G6ze
— Arvind Menon (@MenonArvindBJP) October 9, 2020
Punjab’s Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh also expressed his dislike to the step in the West Bengal protests. He wants strict action to be taken against the cop “for hurting the Sikh religious sentiments.”
Not done, says Punjab CM @capt_amarinder, expressing shock at humiliating treatment of a Sikh youth by @WBPolice, who reportedly pulled off his turban during arrest. CM has urged @MamataOfficial to take strict action against concerned cop for hurting Sikh religious sentiments. pic.twitter.com/bixa26ar4B
— Raveen Thukral (@RT_MediaAdvPbCM) October 9, 2020
West Bengal’s reaction to the incident
The West Bengal police took to Twitter to state that it respects all religions. Consequently, it also stated that the concerned cop asked Balwinder Singh to re-wear his turban before his arrest in the West Bengal protests. Furthermore, the police said, “The concerned person was carrying firearms in yesterday’s protest. The Pagri fell off automatically in the scuffle that ensued.”
West Bengal Police respects all religions. The officer specifically asked him to put his Pagri back before the arrest. The attached photo has been clicked right before he was escorted to the Police Station. We remain committed to our duty to uphold law and order in the state(2/2) pic.twitter.com/BnTWztfDGW
— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) October 9, 2020
However the reaction statements are given, the hurt people all across the nation cannot ignore the way he was manhandled. In the video, it is quite self-explanatory. Senior TMC leader and mister Firhad Hakim said that the allegations are “baseless”. He further stated, “We are not like BJP. We respect all religions, caste, and creed.”
The concerned Sikh is a security personnel who took part in the Howrah protests against Banerjee’s state killings of saffron party workers. The police brutality is outrageous and demands immediate action and not just words, from Mamata Banerjee herself. Earlier, the police have opened chemical-laden water cannons, teargas shells, and beat the agitators with sticks, who decided to voice against the oppression in the state.
