NEW YORK: Forty-seven year old truck driver Sachdev Singh entered the State of Connecticut Superior Court on June 18, seeking to contest a traffic violation when he was arrested for wearing a kirpan, a blade that is a Sikh article of faith, and his turban was forcibly removed from his head. The incident occurred soon after Sachdev Singh entered the courthouse as he was passing through security, handled by the Connecticut Judicial State Marshals.
Sachdev Singh wore his approximately five-inch long kirpan under his clothing, as many Sikhs do, and stated to security officers on three different occasions before entering the metal detector that he had "a religious symbol under my clothes." Apparently, despite being told repeatedly about having a "religious symbol under his clothes", the marshals did not inquire as to what it was, only informing him that he had to deposit his cellphone and camera with one of the marshals. When Sachdev Singh passed under the metal detectors, he was promptly arrested and both his kirpan and his turban were stripped away from him forcibly.
After approximately an hour of questioning, Sachdev Singh’s handcuffs were removed, he was allowed to retie his turban, and then was placed under arrest for "carrying a dangerous weapon." Sachdev Singh was taken to jail where he was fingerprinted and his turban was once again forcibly removed. Currently, Sachdev Singh is being charged with a possession of a dangerous weapon, which is punishable by up to $500 in fines, up to 3 years in prison, or both.
Under this charge, if the edge portion of the blade exceeds 4 inches in length, it is considered "a dangerous weapon." However, it is to be noted that the five-inch kirpan he was carrying at the time was so dull that the "edge" could be rubbed along one’s hand without causing any harm. He was released from jail once he posted bail.
"It was a great shock that state marshals handling security of a court of law would treat me in this manner," commented Sachdev Singh. "I am concerned this incident will adversely affect my citizenship status, as I am applying for naturalization, and I am upset that my rights were so unlawfully cast aside in a courthouse, of all places," he added.
When United Sikhs was called by the victim, the organization immediately attempted to contact Judicial Marshal’s Chief Victor Corley who handles security at the courthouse where the incident occurred, and also called State Attorney David Cohen of the Prosecutor’s Office, both of whom were unavailable.
"According to Connecticut State statute Sec. 53-206, which Sachdev Singh is charged with violating, one cannot carry ‘any knife the edged portion of the blade of which is four inches or over in length,’ " remarked Jaspreet Singh, Staff Attorney for United Sikhs.
"In this case, seeing as the blade was completely dull to the point of being able to rub one’s hand over it without injury, it should not be considered a ‘dangerous weapon’. Furthermore, prior case precedent in multiple states show that the kirpan to be treated only as an article of faith and should never be classified as a dangerous weapon."
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