Source: The Indian Express

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=177220

On April 8, 2006 The Indian Express reported, "The children of thousands of Sikh families living in France are being deprived of their right to education as the Sikh students are not allowed to wear turbans in schools and other educational institutes of France.

This was reveled by a delegation of Sikhs, who are currently presiding in France, came to attend conference at Chandigarh on Saturday they had also visited Ludhiana today. They said that the Indian government should solve this issue diplomatically.

Talking to media persons, two members of the delegation, namely Iqbal Singh Bhatti and Varinder Singh secretary general and cashier respectively of the Turban Action Committee, France said that a number of children of Sikh families living in France had been expelled from the schools and other educational institutes there as wearing turban was not allowed in France.

They said that in recent past about 250 Sikh students had been expelled from their respective schools.

They added that around 10,000 Sikh families living in France were likely to be affected. 'It is very sad that our Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, despite being a Sikh himself, did not take any initiative to get this issue resolved,' they said."