Met Police Harassment of Sikh Woman and Mother

—This week Amarjit Kaur, 57, and her Mother, 80, were pulled over in Woolwich, South London by the Metropolitan Police. A Police unit came behind them with siren and flashing lights on Academy Road. Amarjit thought the police car was after someone in front and was confused as to why it did not overtake.

About 100 meters down the road the police car came along side and an officer put his head out of the window and shouted to pull over very aggressively. Startled, Amarjit stopped partly in the bus lane and partly in the general traffic lane.

The officer then got out of the car threaterning to charge Amarjit for failure to stop after which he began to question her.

The second officer came over and immediately spotted and grabbed Amarjit’s kirpan by lifting up her kameez/dress and pulling it out of the sheath with both hands. The sheath and strap remained on Amarjit.

The second officer held the unsheathed kirpan in his hand and said, you are carrying a knife. He carried on to say the police could charge her for carrying a knife.

The second officer then took the kirpan to his car.

Amarjit Kaur explained to the first officer that that it is lawful for Sikhs to wear the Kirpan.

In the mean time the second officer returned and stated that Amarjit cannot wear the “knife.”

She explained that this was incorrect and as a Sikh, she is permitted to wear this and further pointed out that her mother who was sitting in the car is also wearing a kirpan (Amarjit said this on 2 occasions). The police officers did not accept this.

The officers did not explain why the car was stopped until midway through when they mentioned this car had been driven in the past by somebody who did not have full license and insurance.

Officer 2 returned to say that he will put the kirpan in the boot and if Amarjit touched it before reaching home he will charge her. Amarjit said no, you have to give it back to me it cannot go into the boot. Officer 2 later again said that the kirpan must be placed in the boot.

Amarjit Kaur was repeatedly ordered by Officer 2 not to move a foot. After 30 mins of standing Amarjit was extremely tired and had a very dry mouth. Amarjit said she can go to Eltham police station where she can sit down and sort anything out. The officer said Amarjit can sit in the police car, naturally Amarjit refused.

Amarjit repeatedly requested to use the phone, Officer 2 eventually agreed. Amarjit spoke to her son then repeatedly asked Officer 2 to speak to her son, to which he eventually agreed. The son explained that Sikhs are permitted to wear the kirpan and Officer 2 said we have information which says only Sikh males can wear kirpan.

Amarjit’s particulars were repeatedly requested. Fingerprints were taken. At the end, Officer 2 took particulars again and noted them in a notepad, then wrote some notes and about 4 lines on a second page and asked Amarjit to sign without allowing Amarjit to read it.

Amarjit Kaur refused saying I haven’t read it.

The officer said it says, “I haven’t been rude to you”, “I didn’t touch your hip”, “the reason you wear kirpan is religious.”

Amarjit still refused to sign-it. At some point Amarjit was informed that only Sikh males can carry kirpan. Both officers then left with Officer 2 waiving the Kirpan in the air and saying we are keeping this, their demeanor was as though they had just won a victory of some sort.

Neither officer said anything else when leaving and no explanation of what had happened, where they were taking the kirpan nor any note or slip of paper was left. Amarjit was not accused of any driving offence or contravention; all the details provided by Amarjit (address, license insurance, etc) were all verified as being correct.

The behavior of both officers throughout was very aggressive, and according to the family, the ignorance reeks of racism. Some could say Amarjit was assaulted by the Officer grabbing her clothing and Kirpaan specifically when he knew Sikhs wear Kirpan. The episode left Amarjit distraught.

9 COMMENTS

  1. This is just crazy! I can surely believe police did this because this world has many racist people still stuck in it. Many ignorant as well. I am just disgusted by the two officers and they should not be officers in the first place. I hope there higher position officer knows about this and suspends them. This is just absurd. We have a veryy diverse world and everyone should know by now that EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. We are grateful enough to have so many different religions that are just beautiful. Its 2012 and these officers are acting like young school children, so immature. I hope this gets reported and handled with properly. I am sorry to hear that two elderly women had to go through this nonsense.

  2. 100& AGREE WITH TSK and G Singh

    Sikhs who say that we should give up things just because of the time of world we are living in are just saying it because they are failures in Sikhism and have taken the complete opposite path. no dastaar, no kirpaan, no kara. we are guru gobind singh ji’s sikhs and we should fight against keeping our article of faith rather than face the face that we are living in a modern world and we should compromise by alternatives such as a “keyring sized kirpaan symbol”.

    Guru Gobind Singh Ji sacrificed his family just to protect the article of faith so should you think that we living in the “modern” world should rethink and repect those values.

    Lets just not be Sikhs by name… Lets be Sikhs from the heart! Sat Shri Akal

  3. I am a Sikh however even i believe and many fellow Sikhs that it is time to rethink whether we should carry an actual kirpal,or instead a small symbol kirpan the size of a keyring, that cannot harm or offend anybody should be carried. Sikhism evolved from the first to the last Guruji, hence in the type of mad world we live in, how can ANYBODY be allowed to carry a blade onto an aeroplane or public event regardless of religion. These terrorists would happily dress up as a Sikh in the name of Islam and use the kirpan on an aeroplane. We must rethink whether a kirpan is acceptable in its current form, afterall arent we Sikhs here to serve the goodwill of HUMANITY not the goodwill of just SIKHS???

    • Sikhs have already sacrificed their rights to the kirpan enough by not being able to wear them on planes – we can’t and shouldn’t go further to give up the kirpan. Guru Gobind Singh Ji clearly states that a Sikh must wear a kirpan yet you ignore that all in the guise of “modernization.” Next you’ll ask we give up our dastars because terrorists may wear them – what horrible reasoning

      • I totally agree with tsk. Guru Gobind Singh ji loved weapons and sikhs being a martial kaum cannot be separated from kirpan and other kakars till the humanity remains.Kirpan is not a symbol but encompass the power, the wearer possess and also that you as a person can make a difference and should make a positive difference in the society.

  4. Amarjit Kaur-ji,

    Please urgently make a complaint using this link below:
    https://secure.met.police.uk/complaints/

    This sort of behaviour is not at all acceptable from the Met police, and taking this to the end will ensure others don’t get exposed to the same. I say this as I come in contact with many police officers, 99.5% are really great, it is sad a few bad ones give a bad image to them all. At meetings with very senior Met-police officers, I always wearing my Kirphan and no one to date has even mentioned it.

  5. This needs to be reported, maybe even taken to the press (national, not sikh press).
    The Met police are usually very accepting of wearing kirpans, so these officers need to be questioned and cautioned.

    This needs to be taken to National media, (not just local sikh media).

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