Harwinder Singh still hasn’t received his degree from Durham College, after venue security stopped him from attending his own convocation because of the kirpan. Singh was wearing the kirpan — a short sword worn by Sikhs as a part of their religious clothing, just like he normally would, when he was stopped.
“They stopped me because they said, at the time, it’s a sharp object, we can’t go — we can’t get you inside because of this. But I explained to them it’s part of my body. They didn’t recognize this, and they didn’t let me inside,” Singh said.
“I told them it’s my religious symbol, I can’t set apart from my body. Like, we even sleep with this.”
The convocation was held off-campus at the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa on June 18. Singh said security did not let him enter the venue for his convocation, though he never ran into any problems while he was wearing his kirpan on campus.
A spokesperson for the venue said while they fully respect the religious significance of the kirpan, the one worn by Singh did not meet the permitted size requirements of Durham College.
“Our team adhered to Durham College’s established policies during their convocation ceremony held at our venue at their request. These policies allow the wearing of a kirpan under specific conditions, including a maximum length of seven (7) inches,” said a Tribute Communities Centre spokesperson.
Durham College student Harwinder Singh was barred from attending convocation because of his kirpan.
Photo: OMNI News
“While we fully respect the religious significance of the kirpan, the one worn by the individual in question was estimated to be between 18–24 inches by our event operations staff. Our staff responded in accordance with established procedures, prioritizing both respect for religious freedoms and the safety of all guests.”
Durham College’s kirpan policy recognizes individuals who observe the Sikh religion to wear the kirpan as a part of their religious clothing. In their policy statement, they specify the kirpan must be no greater than seven inches and that kirpans must be worn under clothing so it’s not visible.
“DC (Durham College) respects the rights of those who observe the Sikh religion to wear a kirpan as a part of their religious beliefs, and, to affirm this commitment, the college has a Wearing of a Kirpan policy to support individuals who wear a kirpan and facilitate their inclusion on DC campuses and at all DC-sanctioned activities,” Lindsay Holley said, the director of communications and marketing at Durham College.
Durham College in a statement said they are unable to answer specific details regarding the incident. This includes why Singh has not yet received his degree and whether the college has been in touch with the venue.
Singh said he is in talks with the college, but he hasn’t received any firm answers. The World Sikh Organization (WSO) said it filed a formal notice to the college after Singh came to them for support. The WSO said they received a response from Durham College with only the college’s kirpan policy and that they cannot comment on the specifics of the situation.
“I can say this is a completely shocking and unacceptable example of discrimination,” Balpreet Singh said, legal counsel for the WSO.
“The Supreme Court of Canada has absolutely cleared that the Kirpan must be accommodated and to have a student excluded from his own convocation that was in accordance with the college’s own Kirpan policy, that’s completely unacceptable.”
Singh graduated from IBM international business management in June and is now enrolled in an IT course at Durham College. Students who are eligible for graduation receive their degree whether they attend convocation or not. But Singh said he still hasn’t received his degree after nearly four months since he was barred from attending his convocation.
“It’s a procedure when the student do not go there to take the degree from there, they can collect the degree from the college. I didn’t get the degree from the college as well,” Singh said.
With files from Jaspreet Pandher, OMNI News
