A day after the video went viral of a guard denying the entry of a girl inside the Golden Temple due to a Tricolour painted on her face, the guard claimed that he denied entry to the girl not because of the Tricolour pained on her face but because she was wearing a skirt and her legs were exposed.
The etiquette issue is a new twist in the story as even the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), on Monday in its remarks, said, "The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn't have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag.”
"She was wearing a skirt. I told her about 'maryada' (decorum) and asked her to cover her body," claimed the Golden Temple staffer, who stopped the girl from entering the temple as she had a Tricolour painted on her face.
Sabjit Singh further said in a video, “Legs should be completely covered. Everybody is welcome at Harmandar Sahib (Golden Temple) but must follow the decorum of the place.”
His clarification about the incident came after a video of him denying entry to the girl got viral and stirred controversy on social media. In the video, people can hear him saying to the girl, "It isn't India, it is Punjab."
Apart from the staffer's clarification, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the authority which manages Sikh shrines in India, also tendered an apology.
Responding to the whole controversy, the general secretary of the SGPC, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, said there was no discrimination against devotees and that people from any region, caste, or religion were welcome to pay obeisance.
"The staffer was provoked. Being the general secretary of the SGPC, I apologise, the devotee faced misbehaviour. However, the motive of trolls on social media was shameful," said Grewal.
Grewal further added: "This is a Sikh shrine. Every religious place has its own decorum. We welcome everyone. We apologise if an official misbehaved. The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn't have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag.”
While the SGPC authorities avoided commenting on the ‘Punjab not India" remark, senior BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa reacted strongly to the controversy.
The BJP leader said, "Behaviour of Sewadar (staffer) with a devotee wasn't appropriate”.
“If there was something objectionable on her part, Sewadar should have handled it politely. His comment was highly condemnable. The SGPC should train its staff that attends visitors," he added.
Several people and tourists visiting the Attari-Wagah border for the Beating Retreat ceremony get the Tricolour painted on their faces and, after that, visit the Golden Temple.
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