MELBOURNE:
New Zealand Prime Minister today said he is sympathetic towards Sikhs
who were barred from entering the ground to watch India play Zimbabwe
because they were wearing a kirpan.
Prime Minister John
Key said that the International Cricket Council has rightly set the
rules for what could be brought into New Zealand cricket venues.
"It's
their tournament, not ours. So we can't dictate that to them,"
Key said referring to the incident last Saturday when seven Sikh
cricket fans were barred from entering Eden Park to watch India play
Zimbabwe in a Cricket World Cup match.
In recent weeks
the New Zealand Prime Minister had met with members of the Sikh
community and was sympathetic to their position.
The
kirpan is a ceremonial sword carried by Sikhs for religious purposes,
but is considered by the ICC to be a weapon.
"My
understanding of the kirpan is it is for the most part very small,
it's a blunt instrument," Key said.
"And, actually, if you want to make the case that someone could cause harm with that, they're probably much more likely to be able to cause harm with anything else you can get at the grounds, including a wine bottle or something else," Key was quoted as saying by New Zealand Herald.
Daljit
Singh, chairman of the Supreme Sikh Council, said many in the Sikh
community were unhappy with the ICC's decision and the council was
considering taking legal action.
"This decision has
huge implication because we have about 500 in our community who
already bought tickets for the semifinals, and are now worried that
they cannot get in," Singh said.
"We have been
told that under NZ law it is legal to carry a kirpan, but this ban is
being imposed by the ICC which we feel should follow the law of the
land," Singh said.
Key has also signalled that the
government could change current Civil Aviation Authority rules to
allow kirpans to be taken on flights.
It is legal to
wear a kirpan in New Zealand, but they cannot be taken on to
flights.
Key said he wanted the government to look at
making an exemption in aviation rules for the kirpan.
"Some
countries have legislated for that, I think the UK and Australia. We
might look at it, I am sympathetic to the view," Key said.