Indian mission’s tweet in Canada on Sikhism prompts angry posts

Jalandhar: The Indian high commission in Ottawa courted controversy by posting on its official Twitter account photos of a Punjab Congress leader cleaning a bust of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi with his turban with the lines “Punjab Today — The real narrative: Sikhism promotes peace through love and compassion”.
The official spokesperson of the ministry of external affairs (MEA), Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and @IndianDiplomacy were tagged in the controversial post, which attracted strong criticism from Sikh netizens, with most expressing shock and surprise.
The turban is an important article of faith and identity for the Sikhs and is worn to cover long uncut hair, which is one of the five symbols of Sikhism. Turbans are worn by both men and women who are Amritdhari (initiated) Sikhs.
The high commission deleted the tweet after facing a lot of flak on the issue.
The tweet included a caption above the collage of pictures, saying: “Gursimran Singh Mand booked for cleaning Rajiv Gandhi statue with turban,” and the other at the bottom reads: “Dear Sikhs, last I know Sikhism promoted peace through love, compassion, not hate!!!”