NST: Sikh teen claims hair was cut in Camp

IPOH: An 18-year-old Sikh youth's start to National Service at the Kem Sri Impian in Sungai Bakap, Kedah, got off on the wrong foot after some pranksters cut his hair, which he had grown since birth.
Basant Singh woke up on Sunday morning to find his hair shorter by 60cm, believed to have been snipped off while he was asleep.

In his police report, Basant said that incident happened between 3am and 6.30am.

"I called my father and relayed the incident to him. He came to the camp and we met the camp commandant and related the incident to him.

"He gave my father permission to take me home for a week but told me to report back to the camp on Jan 23," he said when met at his residence at the Wadda Gurdwara Sahib here yesterday. His parents Surinderpal Singh and Swaran Kaur, both 46, were also present.

Basant, however, was adamant he would not return to the NS camp in Sungai Bakap.

"I am angry and hurt. I've never shaven my hair since birth but some cowards thought they could have fun at my expense.

"I had been looking forward to the National Service stint and was excited when I boarded the bus. But now, I don't want to set foot into the camp as I don't feel safe there."

(Adherents of the Sikh faith, both men and women, are required to keep their head, bodily and facial hair unshaven until their death.)

"This incident leaves a bad taste and I want the authorities to investigate and take action against those who transgressed my son's religious rights," said Surinderpal.

"My family and I are not pointing fingers at anyone but I plead to all Malaysians to ensure that religious rights are respected and that we can live in harmony. That is my wish for this country and my family," said Swaran.

Chairman of the Union of Perak Sikh Organisations Dheer Singh urged all quarters not to politicise or turn the matter into a racial issue.

"I understand the hurt felt by the Sikh community and I believe that other communities share our feelings but this is not the time to champion the community's problems by issuing fiery or provoking statements.


In Putrajaya, National Service Training Department director-general Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang Kechil said preliminary investigations found no evidence that Basant's hair had been cut as claimed.

This included the absence of hair around Basant's bed as well as knives of scissors in the dorm.

Nevertheless, the department would conduct a two-week investigation, led by its operations director Col Sanusi Hashim.

"If there is any wrongdoing, we will take action," Hadi said, adding that the management was well aware of the practices of various religions.

Hadi said if the claim was indeed true, the guilty party would be "advised" to respect the various religious customs.

In Nibong Tebal, Sri Impian National Service Camp commandant Maj Shamsudin Abdul Aziz said the incident could have been the work of mischievous trainees at the camp.

He said camp officials had conducted a search at the camp dormitories after the matter was highlighted by Basant's parents during their visit on Sunday and they discovered a pair of scissors in a separate dormitory block.

He stressed that sharp objects, including scissors, were banned from the camp and they were investigating how it ended up at the dormitory.

NST, 19/1/2011 By Jaspal Singh, Sean Augustin, Adie Suri Zulkefli
Pic by: Ikhwan Munir
Read more: Sikh teen claims hair was cut in camp http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/12sikb/Article#ixzz1BSiFPQ7C