A Sikh truck driver was arrested for wearing a kirpan and his turban "forcibly" removed while he was entering a Connecticut court to contest a traffic violation charge, a community advocacy group said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on June 18 while 47-year-old Sachdev Singh was passing through security at the Connecticut state superior court, the group, United Sikhs, said.
Apart from arresting him for wearing kirpan, the court marshals "forcibly" removed his turban, it claimed,
Singh, the group said, was wearing his approximately five-inch long kirpan under his clothing, as many Sikhs do, and stated to security officers on three different occasions before entering the metal detector that he had "a religious symbol" under his clothes.
The marshals did not inquire about the religious symbol and asked him to deposit his cellphone and camera with one of them.
When Singh passed under the metal detectors, he was promptly arrested and both his kirpan and turban were stripped away from him forcibly, the United Sikhs said.
After about an hour of questioning, Singh's handcuffs were removed, he was allowed to re-tie his turban and then was placed under arrest for "carrying a dangerous weapon."
Singh, United Sikhs said, was taken to jail where he was fingerprinted and his turban was once again forcibly removed.
"It was a great shock that state marshals handling security of a court of law would treat me in this manner," said Singh, who was released
"I am concerned this incident will adversely affect my citizenship status, as I am applying for naturalisation, and I am upset that my rights were so unlawfully cast aside in a courthouse, of all places."
Currently, Singh has been charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, which is punishable by up to USD 500 in fine, up to 3 years in prison, or both. Under this law, if the edge portion of the blade exceeds 4 inches in length, it is considered "a dangerous weapon."
However, United Sikhs said the five-inch kirpan Singh was carrying at the time was so dull that the "edge" could be
rubbed along one's hand without causing any harm.
"According to Connecticut State statute ... one cannot carry 'any knife the edged portion of the blade of which is
four inches or over in length,' " said Jaspreet Singh, Staff Attorney for United Sikhs.
"In this case, seeing as the blade was completely dull to the point of being able to rub one's hand over it without
injury, it should not be considered a 'dangerous weapon'. Furthermore, precedents in multiple states show that the kirpan to be treated only as an article of faith and should never be classified as a dangerous weapon," Singh said.
United Sikhs said they are working actively to have the charges levied against Singh dismissed, and is exploring
various civil remedies to ensure that a training programme about Sikhs for the Connecticut State Marshals is put into place to prevent any future recurrence of mistreatment of a Sikh.
