Leaders of Sikh community call on PM, ask for reversal of Delhi Police order

Wednesday, Feb 02, 2011




It seems that Delhi Traffic police's efforts to make women two-wheeler-drivers and pillion riders wear helmets might go down the drain.



As the word spread that Delhi government had asked the Traffic Police to reverse an earlier order exempting women from wearing helmets while riding two-wheelers, members of Sikh community came out strongly against the proposal. Leaders of the community called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and gave him a memorandum that called for not implementing the order as it was against the tenants of their religion.

"We won't allow this as it goes against our religion. Sikh men are not allowed to wear anything over their turbans while Sikh women are supposed to keep their heads covered, so helmets do not go with our religious beliefs. Similar proposals in other countries had met with strong protests and governments of the US and Britain had to finally accept the recommendations of our community," said Paramjit Singh Pamma, who met the Prime Minister along with other leaders of National Akali Dal, Sikh Welfare Society and Shri Guru Nanak Sathsang Sabha of Chennai.

The government had on January 12, decided to enforce the helmet law more stringently for bikers and pillion riders, irrespective of their gender. "We have asked the traffic department to make it mandatory for women driving two-wheelers and also those riding the pillion to wear helmets," Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta had said.

 Delhi is the only city in the country that has exempted women driving two-wheelers or riding as pillion from wearing helmets since 1999.  According to the traffic police, the exemption was allowed following the protests by the Sikh community in the Capital.

According to the police, last year 700 people had died in Delhi two-wheeler related accidents. Most of them were not wearing helmets.

Heads up
Facts about helmet according to Delhi Traffic Police:
* It should not obstruct vision
* It should not impair with hearing
* It should be light weight
* It should not cause fatigue  which causes crashes
* It should not cause skin diseases

Original news source http://www.mid-day.com/news/2011/feb/010211-News-Delhi-Leaders-of-Sikh-PM-Gul-Panag.htm