'This Is Punjab, Not India': Row At Golden Temple As Woman Claims She Was Denied Entry Over Tricolour Tattoo

A 40-second clip, showing a woman being denied entry to Golden Temple in Amritsar due to her face tattoo, has gone viral. Following this, the SGPC has issued a clarification and apology.

The woman who was denied entry (left) to the Golden Temple in Amritsar and the sewadar involved in the argument.

A video showing a woman being denied entry into the Golden Temple in Amritsar, allegedly because of a tattoo of the Tricolour painted on her face, has gone viral. Soon after the video surfaced online, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) general secretary Gursharan Singh Grewal apologised for any misbehavior by its employees towards the visitors, adding that the issue had been blown out of proportion and was being given a political colour.

Grewal also said that the flag that was painted on the woman's face wasn't the Indian Tricolour. He said it didn't have the Ashoka Chakra and might have been a political symbol. Grewal also stated that this was a Sikh shrine and every religious place has its own decorum, but the SGPC welcomes everyone. He further added that Sikhs had played an essential role in the country's freedom, but every time, the community is targeted. Grewal's reaction came after the 40-second video showing the woman being barred from the Golden Temple went viral.

The woman, who claimed that she was denied entry because of the tattoo, had an argument with the sewadar, an SGPC employee, who stopped her. The sewadar reportedly objected to the flag painted on her face, to which the man accompanying her asked, "Is this not India?" The sewadar replied, "No. This is Punjab." The woman argued that he was not talking any sense at all and was acting as if the Golden Temple was not in India. This led to a heated argument between the sewadar and the woman and her friends. The sewadar even tried to stop them from capturing the incident on their mobile phone.

It is a common practice for visitors who attend the 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony held at the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post every evening to get their faces painted in Tricolour and then visit the Golden Temple. This could have been one such instance reported India Today.