- Wednesday, June 29, 2022
By: Keerthi Mohan
A SIKH man was on Monday (5) detained by a Birmingham police officer for carrying a Kirpan, a ceremonial dagger, in public.
A video of the incident, which took place on Bull Street in Birmingham, soon found its way online.
In the video, the man can be heard telling that he was allowed to carrying the dagger.
“I’m a Sikh. I can carry this if I want to,” he said.
After a few seconds, the man points to a bus driver and tells the officer: “Could you call that bus driver, he goes to my temple.”
A woman is then heard saying: “They are arresting him for no reason for wearing a kirpan”.
The man then walks towards the bus driver, but officer tries to stop him, saying, “Sir I need you to not wander around while I’ve got you detained.”
Earlier this year, the UK government passed an amendment that allwowed Sikhs in the country to carry Kirpans and use it during religious and cultural functions.
An insider from the British Sikh Council said: “If he’s a practicing Sikh then there shouldn’t be an issue.”
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “Police on patrol in Birmingham city centre spoke to a man who was acting aggressively just before 6:30pm on Monday 5 August in Dale End. He was advised regarding his behaviour and no further action was taken.”
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