|
France violated Sikh's right to wearing turban: UN
Friday January 13, 2012 07:02:12 PM,
IANS
|
|
London: The UN rights
committee has said France violated the religious freedom of a
76-year-old Sikh when he was asked to remove his turban for his ID
photograph.
The UN Human Rights Committee (UNHCR) has asked France to submit a
report by March 15 on measures the government was taking to remedy
the violation of the religious freedom of Ranjit Singh, the United
Sikhs group said in a statement.
Ranjit Singh, despite his ill-health, has had no access to the
public health care system or to social benefits since 2005 because
his residence card was withheld due to his refusal to remove his
turban for ID photo.
Mejindarpal Kaur, legal director of the group, said the
organisation had filed a communication on behalf of Ranjit Singh
to the UNHRC in December 2008.
The UNHRC observed that "even if the obligation to remove the
turban for the identity photograph might be described as a
one-time requirement, it would potentially interfere with Ranjit
Singh's freedom of religion on a continuing basis because he would
always appear without his religious head covering in the identity
photograph and could therefore be compelled to remove his turban
during identity checks".
The UN committee said France failed to explain how the turban
hindered identification since the wearer's face would be visible
even if he was wearing the turban at all times.
Ranjit Singh said he had faith that truth and justice would
prevail. "I patiently waited for this day. I pray that France will
now fulfil its obligation and grant me a residence card bearing my
photo without baring my head," he said.
Kaur said France should now fulfil its moral duty "to ensure that
the freedom of religion and belief is upheld for everyone who
lives within its territory".
|
|
|
|
Home |
Top of the Page |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Top Stories |
|
Want justice for Batla house accused, says Digvijay
Hours after
Home Minister P. Chidambaram Thursday rejected Digvijay Singh's
demand for a fresh probe into the 2008 Batla House shootout saying
there was "no scope" for it, the Congress general secretary
reiterated his
»
Batla House encounter genuine, no re-opening case: Chidambaram
Batla
Encounter: NHRC admits it relied on official reports, didn’t visit spot
Rahul gheraoed by protesters demanding probe into Batla House encounter
Batla House encounter 3 yrs on: Demand for
impartial probe raised |
|
|
|
Most Read |
|
 Don't write articles which
spread enmity: Delhi HC to Swamy
Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy, accused
of writing an inflammatory article, can't be arrested till Jan 30,
the Delhi High Court ruled Friday even as it asked him to refrain »
|
|
Hardwork and dedication the mantra to crack
CAT, say toppers
A bunch
of students made Maharashtra proud by cracking the tough Common
Admission Test (CAT) - some scoring a perfect ten while some
followed close at 99.99 percentile. Hardwork and dedication with a
bit of luck are the keywords, they said.
Srikanth Lanka, a final year student of
» |
|
|
|
News Pick |
|
Jarawa women dance clip old, videographer will be held: Chidambaram
Home
Minister P. Chidambaram said Thursday that the footage of Jarawa
tribeswomen being made to dance for tourists was "three to four
years" old and the government had asked the Andaman and
» |
|
Indian scientist to be sacked for faking research data
An
Indian-origin scientist will be dismissed for falsifying the data
in more than 100 instances while doing research at a US university
on the benefits of red wine on cardiovascular health.
Dipak Das, director of the
» |
|
 Indian, Asian
activists plan Global March to Jerusalem
After the success of the "First Asian Convoy to
Gaza", the organizers supported by over a dozen NGOs and non
profit organizations are now embarking in March 2012 on the »
|
|
|
|
Picture of the Day |
|
 |
|
Dhananjay Bele, President of Nashik
Industries & Manufacturers Association (NIMA). addressing the
industrialists' meet in Malegaon Friday. The meeting was
organised as part of Malegaon Mahautsav 2012, a
three day event which began on January 06.
(Photo:
ummid.com) |
|
|
|
|
Comments
|
Quick links