Police officers stopped a student from UC Davis from boarding an Amtrak bus because he was carrying a nine inch kirpan, a dagger used in the Sikh faith, reports the Davis Enterprise.
The officer asked Harsimran Singh if he was carrying a dagger and when he tried to explain its significance to the Sikh faith and the requirement of keeping it on his body, the officer told him he could not board the bus without packing it in his luggage.
“I was stupefied,” said Singh. “I’m not going to compromise my faith just to make the bus driver happy.”
Amtrak said the bus driver who called in police was following policy and is responsible for the safety of other passengers.
“Anybody is a potential threat,” he said. “What makes me a potential threat, just because I’m practicing my religion?”
This was not the first time Singh has boarded an Amtrak bus with a kirpan, but the first time he says he’s been stopped.
