On April 17, a video went viral on social media in which a woman alleged she was denied entry to Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, as she had a tricolour painted on her face. The video attracted a lot of criticism on social media.
Pls share this reel as much as possible. This happened today at #goldentemple the sister was not allowed to enter because she had #indianflag🇮🇳 on her face, the man who stops her says this is not #India. pic.twitter.com/myezMOrYuF
— Balm (@Sharabh_Vishnu_) April 16, 2023
In the video, a man and woman can be seen confronting a Sikh person who allegedly did not allow the woman entry to the famous Sikh shrine. When asked why she was not allowed to enter the Gurudwara, the Sikh man said, “She has a flag on her face”. When the woman said it was the Indian flag, the Sikh man said, “This is Punjab, not India”.
This is a Sikh shrine. Every religious place has its own decorum…We welcome everyone…We apologise if an official misbehaved…The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn't have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag: Gurcharan Singh Grewal, General… pic.twitter.com/Ivq0lWTto4
— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2023
Following the criticism, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, General Secretary of Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) issued a clarification. He was quoted by the news agency ANI saying, “This is a Sikh shrine. Every religious place has its own decorum…We welcome everyone…We apologise if an official misbehaved…The flag on her face was not our national flag as it didn’t have Ashoka Chakra. It could have been a political flag.”
