Students protest ‘religious discrimination’ after Sikh woman barred from giving exam

A day after Akal Takht’s officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj and former deputy CM Sukhbir Badal called out the authorities concerned for denying a female Sikh candidate from appearing in a judicial entrance exam in Rajasthan, student organisation SATH led a protest march at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), to condemn the ‘act of religious discrimination’.

Gurpreet Kaur, an Amritdhari Sikh and law graduate from GNDU, had alleged that she was asked to remove her Kirpan—a sacred article of faith worn by Sikhs—before entering the examination hall for a judiciary exam in Jaipur. When she refused, citing her religious rights, she was denied entry and barred from appearing in the examination.

The protest march began from the Gurdwara Sahib on the university campus and concluded at Fountain Chowk, drawing participation from over 200–300 students representing various departments of GNDU. Protesters carried placards and raised slogans demanding justice and protection of Sikh identity in public institutions.

Jujhar Singh, Convenor of SATH, addressing the student gathering, said, “This is a grave violation of our constitutional rights. The repeated attempts to challenge Sikh identity in the name of procedure and uniformity reflect the growing insensitivity and systemic bias against minorities in India.”

Jaskaran Singh, a student leader from GNDU, added that this was not an isolated incident but part of a systematic effort to push Sikhs out of government services. He also raised concerns over the increasing recruitment of employees from outside Punjab in the GNDU and other government departments, side-lining the local and qualified Sikh youth.

Inderjeet Singh, a student and member of SATH, called for greater awareness and mobilisation among students to challenge such patterns of discrimination and ensure equal opportunities for all citizens, irrespective of religion.