Sikh community leaders in the Capital reacted with caution to the Delhi High Court ruling that requires all women pillion riders to wear helmets.
Most representatives said though the decision was good for “women’s safety” but if it wasn’t in line with their religion they wouldn’t follow it. They put the onus on the Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, to interpret it.
“Sikh women who wear a turban are already exempted from wearing a helmet. As for this decision, we would still like to study it further. Our scholars will study it in detail as it involves the court, an individual’s safety and religious sentiments,” Jathedar Gurbachan Singh, the head priest of the Akal Takht, said.
Bhajan Singh Walia, the officiating president of the Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, welcomed the court’s decision. “If the high court has ordered something it must be for the overall security of the women but we feel that there may be some reservations amongst the Sikh women,” he said. Walia said if the Akal Takht raised any objections, the Sikh organisations will ask the court to reconsider the issue.
Similar views were expressed by Maninder Singh Sirsa, the Delhi state president of the Youth Akali Dal. “While it is a good decision on the safety front but it isn’t necessarily in line with our religion,” he said.
But the leaders, despite their earlier reservations about Sikh women wearing helmets, said the court order should be taken in the right spirit.
Walia even came up with a “solution”. “Our religion does permit several exemptions and deviations when it comes to the issue of human life, safety and security. We have instances where Sikhs undergoing medical procedures have had to trim or their hair, which has been permitted,” he said.
Meanwhile, some Sikh women in the Capital welcomed the move. “Even if we wear a helmet, which will be for our own safety, we will stay Sikhs. Given the number of road accidents it is a good decision,” Jasmeet, a schoolteacher who stays in east Delhi, said.
News Source: India Today
