Sikh truckie confronts cop after he allegedly ‘pulled’ his beard
“Shameful that a man in uniform should show such scant regard for religious sentiments of a common man,” said Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh who has demanded action against the erring cop.
Snapshot of the video that shows a roadside encounter between the cops and a Sikh truck driver Source: Twitter/Piyush Rai
A video capturing a roadside encounter between a Sikh truck driver and an Uttar Pradesh (UP) policeman has elicited a strong reaction from Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who has demanded action against the erring cop.
In the clip recorded by an onlooker, a truck driver and his accomplice were stopped on the Shamli-Muzaffarnagar highway after they allegedly refused to give way to a passing police vehicle.
The confrontation takes an ugly turn after one of the cops on the scene appears to be tugging at the Sikh man’s beard which infuriates him and as a result, he pulls out his kirpan (sword) from the truck and confronts the cop for hurting his religious sentiments.
The driver is repeatedly heard saying, “Why did you touch my beard?”
For Sikhs, the beard is a mandatory article of their faith, something that is considered sacred by the followers of the religion.
Reacting to the viral clip on Twitter, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has urged his UP counterpart Yogi Adityanath to “take the cop concerned to task.”
He wrote that it was “Shameful that a man in uniform should show such scant regard for religious sentiments of a common man.”
The chief minister added that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) must send out a clear message that it doesn’t accept such behaviour.
Snapshot of Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's tweet in response to the video. Source: Twitter
Meanwhile, responding to the chief minister’s reaction, Shamli police, the regional division of the UP police which administers the area, was quick to offer a clarification.
Snapshot of Journalist Piyush Rai's tweet on Shamli Police's stand on the matter. Source: Twitter/Piyush Rai
They wrote that it was brought to their notice that the Meerut police’s fire service vehicle was heading to the Shamli highway when it collided with the said driver’s truck, leading to a "minor" argument.
The matter was subsequently sorted out after both the sides reported to the police station after the confrontation. No case was registered, the police wrote.
