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Sikhs hails California Assembly move on Kirpan law
WSN Network

WASHINGTON/AMRITSAR: The Sikh community across the world has hailed the new Californian legislation to train law enforcement personnel about Sikhs and the religious significance of carrying `kirpans' and hopes other countries would follow suit.

"This legislation by California is a step towards educating security agencies about Sikhs and the importance of their religious symbols. It would certainly decrease the incidents of harassment of Sikhs by security agencies in foreign land," SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said.

The Californian state legislature last week had unanimously passed a Bill to train law enforcement personnel about Sikhs and the religious significance of "kirpans" to avoid "wasteful arrests" of people from the community.

The legislation (AB 504) was unanimously passed by the California state legislature and now moves to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign it into law.

Assembly member Warren Furutani, who introduced the Bill in the state legislature this year, called "AB 504" as an "important Bill that recognises the state's responsibility to protect religious freedom while ensuring public safety" and added that the Sikh community should not live in fear of arrest by law enforcement for carrying the `kirpan' which is an integral part of their religious faith.

While several police and Sheriff departments have recognised the need for this type of training and have been conducting it on an ad hoc basis, the Bill would standardise the process state-wide, the legislation said.

If the Bill indeed becomes a law, it would be the first law specifically pertaining to the kirpan in the US.

9 September 2009
 

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