The University of North Carolina in Charlotte is apologizing after campus police detained a student for wearing a kirpan, reported CBS17.
The article of faith is worn by Sikhs as part of their religion.
Police responded to a call of a student with a knife. The office demanded that the kirpan be removed. When the student refused, the officer handcuffed him, according to the Economic Times.
“I wasn’t going to post this, but I don’t think I will receive any support from UNC Charlotte, he said on Twitter. “I was told someone called 911 and reported me, and I got cuffed for “resisting” because I refused to the let the officer take my kirpan out of the miyaan.”
“State law and University policy prohibit the possession of a knife or other edged instruments on campus, but we will use this as a learning opportunity by engaging in constructive dialogue with Sikh students and employees” the campus said in a statement reported by News 18. “Together, we are confident we can find reasonable measures and educational opportunities that both protect the safety of our campus and the religious practices of our community members. Our diversity makes us a better, richer, more successful community. We want every Niner to feel welcomed, supported and safe. We apologize that is not what this young man felt in our union yesterday. We are committed to ensuring it doesn’t happen again.”
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa called for the apology and described the incident as “disheartening” to see the youth detained.
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