Ban on 'kirpan-khanda' necklaces on int'l flights irks Sikh flyers

Ban pre-existing, was re-emphasised a few months ago SANDEEP AGGARWAL, Amritsar airport officiating director

- Surjit Singh

AMRITSAR: Sikh passengers flying internationally, especially from Amritsar and Delhi airports, have alleged that they are being barred from carrying kirpan and khanda necklaces on board. Multiple such incidents have come to light in the past few months.

US-based Prabhpreet Singh, who travelled from Amritsar to New York last week, said, "I travelled for the first time from Amritsar. Security asked me to remove a tiny kirpan from my neck. It was less than two inches.

I have travelled a lot from the US, Canada and Europe, but have never been asked to remove the necklace. In the past 10 years, this was my first time travelling from Amritsar airport internationally."

Officials, however, clarified that the rules from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) were always in place.