Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has advised the Chandigarh administration to exempt Sikh women from wearing helmets while driving two-wheelers.
A Home Ministry official said Mr. Singh received a representation, from Sikh religious bodies, that wearing any kind of cap or hat goes against the tenets of Sikhism. Chandigarh, a Union Territory, is under the administrative control of the Union Home Ministry. The Chandigarh administration penalised Sikh women without helmets after scores of women riding two-wheelers were killed in accidents. Sikh men have already been exempted from the rule.
The official said the exemption was in keeping with a provision in Delhi. “The Department of Transport, Delhi Government, vide its notification issued on June 4 1999, carried out the amendment to Rule 115 of the Delhi Motor Vehicles Rules, 1993, making it optional for women, whether riding pillion or driving motorcycle, to wear a protective headgear. The Rule was further amended on August 28, 2014, and the word ‘women’ was replaced with ‘Sikh women’,” the Home Ministry said in a statement.
Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal met Mr. Rajnath Singh on Thursday and requested him to withdraw the rule. “We met the Home Minister, who assured us that the notification will be withdrawn. Women were forced to wear helmets… Everything is not about safety, certain religious sentiments are also involved,” Mr. Badal said.