NGO owner claims he was turned away from a Gurugram restaurant because he was wearing a kirpan

A restaurant in Gurugram, Haryana, reportedly refused admittance to Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia because he was wearing a Kirpan, a holy object in Sikhism. Ahluwalia is the director of the non-profit organization Hemkunt Foundation.

Harteerath posted a video of the event on X (previously Twitter) and said that it happened at a momo-eating establishment named Jalsa The Ladakhi Kitchen close to DLF phase 1. On Friday night, he claims he was “met with sheer disbelief” when he was sent away because of his Kirpan. He continued, saying it was astounding to witness such prejudice in the twenty-first century.

Ahluwalia is heard saying to the workers in the video, “Aapne discrimination ki hain, tabhi yeh video bana raha hoon… You discriminated against us, which is why I’m producing this video, Kirpan hain, talvar nahi hain. This is not a sword but a kirpan.

The Hemkunt Foundation director went on to say, “The Indian Constitution and flight regulations uphold my right to carry a kirpan, yet Jalsa thought otherwise.” The individuals who recognized him let him into the restaurant, he said, but he was not permitted to eat there.

Let’s face it, these institutions need to keep up with the times. In our multicultural culture, discrimination has no place. Jalsa Close to DLF phase 1, namely The Ladakhi Kitchen,” he said.

Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal described it as a “disturbing” occurrence and requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to offer the necessary instructions to ensure that similar crimes are not repeated.