AMRITSAR: A woman alleged that she was stopped at the entrance of the Golden Temple because she had the national flag of India painted on her face. A video shot by the woman from the Golden Temple, which is considered a sacred place for Sikhs, is circulating on social media.
The woman can be seen arguing with another man in the video, after being informed that she was denied entry. The woman also asks if this is India itself when she was refused entry for painting the national flag on the face. The guard shakes his head in denial and says that this is Punjab in the video. After getting into an argument, the guard tries to snatch the woman's phone. Although more details are not confirmed, national media reported the matter.
The video has been criticized on several levels, with pro-Khalistani attacks on Indians and Indian institutions rampant inside and outside the country, and efforts to nab separatist Amritpal Singh in vain.
1) A girl was stopped from entering Golden Temple because she had an Indian flag painted on her face.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) April 17, 2023
The man who denied her entry into Golden Temple said, this is Punjab not India. pic.twitter.com/IfUi74poIk
Meanwhile, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, which oversees the Golden Temple, has expressed regret over the issue. The authorities said that they apologize if their employee misbehaved but they claimed that the woman's face was not painted with the national flag. A member of the Parbandhak Committee said that since there was no Ashoka Chakra, the painting on the face of the young woman could not be accepted as a national flag, and it was possible that it was a flag of a political nature. Otherwise, Golden Temple is a place where all sects are welcome, he added.