This Is Kirpan And Not A Sword: Sikh Man Confronts Restaurant Staffer After Denying Entry

A purported video of Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia, the director of Hemkunt Foundation - an NGO, being denied entry to a restaurant for wearing 'kirpan', a religious article in Sikhism, has gone viral.

In the viral clip, Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia is seen confronting a Restaurant staffer for denying entry over wearing the Sikh religious article.

"Aapne discrimination ki hain, tabhi yeh video bana raha hoon... Kirpan hain, talvar nahi hain (You discriminated against us, that's why I am making this video... This is kirpan and not a sword)," he is hearing saying in the video. The incident occurred on Saturday night.

Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia himself posted the clip on X, which was popularly known as Twitter, and said, "Last night at Jalsa, a place I visit for momos, I was met with sheer disbelief. They denied me entry simply because of my kirpan. This, in the 21st century, in a city like Gurgaon. It's astonishing how some ppl and places still continue to discriminate."

In a follow-up post, the Hemkunt Foundation director wrote, "The Indian Constitution and flight regulations uphold my right to carry a kirpan, yet Jalsa thought otherwise. Strangers( who recognised me) supported me, exposing the absurdity of this situation but I was still denied a meal after being taken inside."

"Let's be real - it's high time for such establishments to catch up with the times. Discrimination has no place in the diverse society we live in... Jalsa The Ladakhi Kitchen to be accurate near DLF phase 1," he added.

Currently, Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia holds the position of Director of Community Development at Hemkunt Foundation, where he leads the disaster management division. He has demonstrated unwavering dedication throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, floods, and the Afghanistan crisis.

Ahluwalia earned notable recognition by being featured in Forbes's Under 30 list for the year 2022.