Woman Denied Entry At The Golden Temple Over Tricolour Paint: 7 Things To Know

A massive controversy erupted after a woman was denied entry into Golden Temple because she had the Indian flag painted on her face. As the video was widely circulated on social media, inviting massive backlash, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) today issued a clarification over the incident.

The guard who refused her entry has recently revealed that he prohibited her from entering because she was wearing a skirt and did not cover her legs.

Woman Denied Entry At Golden Temple: 7 things you must know

1. In the widely shared ">video from Monday, a woman and a man can be heard engaged in a heated argument with a sewadar who reportedly prevented her from entering the Golden Temple. The sewadar was overheard saying, "This is Punjab, not India."
2. Earlier, the Golden Temple denied entry to the girl because she had the tricolour flag painted on her face. However, the SGPC later clarified that the flag painted on her face was not the national flag as it did not have the Ashoka Chakra, and could have been a political flag instead.
3. But now the person responsible for preventing the girl's entry now alleges that it was because of her exposed legs as she was wearing a skirt.
4. SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami released a statement regarding this incident where the sewadar advised the woman to adhere to the 'maryada' (decorum) of the religious place. Dhami emphasised that every gurdwara, including Sri Harmandar Sahib, has a mandatory set of maryada that the sangat needs to follow. He also stated that many were intentionally misrepresenting the incident.
5. Apart from the explanation given by the staff member, the SGPC also expressed regret. The SGPC's General Secretary, Gurcharan Singh Grewal, responded to the entire controversy by stating that there is no segregation of devotees and that people from any area, caste, or religion are welcome at the Gurudwara to show respect.
6. However, the SGPC authorities still refuse to give any statements on the "Punjab not India remark." Manjinder Singh Sirsa, a senior BJP leader, criticised sewadar’s behaviour towards the devotee, stating that it was inappropriate.
7. During the Beating Retreat ceremony at the Attari-Wagah border, it is common to see visitors getting the Indian flag painted on their faces and subsequently paying a visit to the Golden Temple. This could be an example of one such situation.

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