Removal of Sikh students’ bracelets in NEET exam protested

The Chief Khalsa Diwan, a Sikh organisation, has objected to the reported incidents of Sikh students being forced to remove their religious headscarves during the NEET examination held here on Sunday. The exam was conducted across several centres in the city yesterday.

Chief Khalsa Diwan president Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar and other members said religious headscarves and other symbols of Sikhi are an integral part of Sikhism, and the compulsion to remove it by any means is a direct attack on the religious and constitutional freedom of Sikhs. He said students should not be deprived of their Sikh identity and religious symbols during NEET or other major examinations. This humiliating behaviour of examination officials is hurting the morale of Sikh students every day,” said Dr Inderbir Nijjar.

Expressing displeasure over this controversial behaviour, the Chief Khalsa Diwan has appealed to the Central Government and the NTA (National Testing Agency) to ensure full protection of the religious freedom of Sikh students by immediately changing the examination policies.