US university modifies regulations to permit kirpan wear on campus by Sikh students

A new revision to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s “Weapons on Campus” policy now permits Sikh students to walk around campus with a kirpan, a sacred object of faith.

The action was taken around two months after a Sikh university student was detained for donning the ceremonial dagger on campus.

The university will permit students to carry kirpans on campus as long as the blade is under 3 inches long and is  “worn close to the body in a sheath at all times”. per the new policy.

Other religious accommodations, such as a request to wear a larger kirpan, can be made to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX and are assessed on a case-by-case basis, the university added.

“The Office of Diversity and Inclusion, with support from Institutional Integrity, also conducted additional awareness training this week with our police department and will continue its work to expand our cultural education and training opportunities for all of campus,” a university statement, released this week, read.

The Sikh Coalition and the Global Sikh Council, two nonprofit organisations that contributed knowledge and insight to support the policy change, were among the Sikh leaders acknowledged by the institution in their statement.

“We will continue to use this incident as an opportunity for learning and growth for our community,” said the statement, signed by Chancellor Sharon L Gaber and Chief Diversity Officer Brandon L Wolfe.

The university, which had issued an apology for the event, said the ruling took effect right away.

The institution issued a list of anticipated responses a week after the tragedy on September 22. Among them was offering assistance and resources to the affected students.

The policy at the school was to be changed, and more instruction and training were to be offered.

The incident was initially made public when the student posted a video to Twitter explaining why the police had handcuffed him: he wouldn’t allow the officer to take away his kirpan.

The student tweeted about his suffering as follows:  “I wasn’t going to post this, but I don’t think I will receive any support from @unccharlotte. I was told someone called 911 and reported me, and I got cuffed for ‘resisting’ because I refused to let the officer take my kirpan out of the miyaan.”  More than 21,00,000 people saw the video, and it received 56,000 likes and a number of supportive comments on social media.

The five articles of faith—kesh (uncut hair), kara (steel bracelet), kanga (little comb), kachera (undershorts), and a kirpan—must be worn by amritdhari, or baptised, Sikhs (resembling a knife or sword).

Also Read

Five people were killed in Colorado club attack that occurred at Club Q

Shooter opened fire inside a homosexual bar in the US state of...