Washington: The Californian state legislature in the US has passed a landmark legislation to train law enforcement personnel about Sikhs and religious significance of `kirpans`, a move that may decrease the number of "wasteful arrests" of people from the community.
Sikh Coalition, a Sikh advocacy group, hailed the passage of the legislation as a historic occasion. "Should it become law, this would be the first law specifically pertaining to the `kirpan` in the US," it said in a statement.
While several police and sheriff`s departments have recognised the need for this type of training and have been conducting it on an ad hoc basis, the Bill would standardise the process state-wide, it said. The training would specifically advise officers about "how to recognise and interact with persons carrying a `kirpan`."
The legislation (AB 504) was unanimously passed by the California State Legislature. The Bill now moves to Governor Schwarzenegger, to sign it into law.
Introduced in the State Legislature early this year by Assembly member, Warren Furutani, once signed into law would create and include training about the `kirpan` in the state curriculum for law enforcement officer training.
Sikh Coalition said the legislation arose out of a number of Sikhs being arrested for carrying `kirpans’ because police mistakenly believe them to be in violation of concealed weapons laws. "Our hope is that being educated about the `kirpan` and its religious significance will decrease the number of wasteful arrests," the coalition said.
Bureau Report
