VIDEO of US cop handcuffing Sikh student for wearing Kirpan raises questions, University Chancellor apologizes

New Delhi: A video worth condemning has made its way to global social media, wherein a Sikh student is being handcuffed and arrested for wearing an integral part of five Sikh Kakars – the Kirpan.

The incident occurred at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in the US after the campus dispatch received a 911 call from an individual about a person carrying a knife on the UNC premises.

The matter came to the fore when the Sikh student himself shared a 44-seconds long video clip on the microblogging site Twitter.

The now-viral clip shows a student relaxing on a sofa chair while a police officer reached to him and grabbed his Kirpan which was resting on his abdomen area, being attached to a long shoulder strap.

The cop refused to let go of the Kirpan despite resistance shown by the student and grabs him by his right arm making him stand up and handcuffing him. The encounter reportedly took place on Thursday evening.

Watch:

The victim shared the video of the instance with caption, “I wasn’t going to post this, but I don’t think I will receive any support from @unccharlotte. I was told someone called 911 and reported me, and I got cuffed for “resisting” because I refused to let the officer take my kirpan out of the miyaan”.

I wasn’t going to post this, but I don’t think I will receive any support from @unccharlotte . I was told someone called 911 and reported me, and I got cuffed for “resisting” because I refused to let the officer take my kirpan out of the miyaan. @CLTNinerNews pic.twitter.com/Vk9b0Tspvm

— امآن وڑائچ (@thatsamaan) September 23, 2022

Sikhs from around the world has reacted sternly on the incident, while the University Chancellor Sharon Gaber issued an apology as the matter resulted in massive outrage.

“Further investigation showed the item was a kirpan, an article of faith in Sikhism”, read Gaber’s message to the campus community posted on the University’s website.