This story is from February 18, 2015

Punjab cops want end of British-era turban

The uniform of a security force should be in sync with its role and environment. There is an increasing sentiment among the Punjab Police constabulary that their blue turban with a red fringe introduced during the British rule should be dropped for headgear which is more contemporary and easy to wear.
Punjab cops want end of British-era turban
AMRITSAR: The uniform of a security force should be in sync with its role and environment. There is an increasing sentiment among the Punjab Police constabulary that their blue turban with a red fringe introduced during the British rule should be dropped for headgear which is more contemporary and easy to wear.
Many retired Punjab Police personnel point out that this turban takes hours to tie, and is impractical for a constable who is hard pressed for time due to the rigours of his profession.

Historian Surinder Kochhar, who has urged the Punjab government to give up this ‘colonial symbol’, told TOI on Monday that he would continue to write to the chief minister on this issue and then to the prime minister if the state government didn’t do anything to change the headgear by March.
Kochhar said if there was no technical hitch or legal compulsion, the cops should be allowed to switch over to the conventional turban.
Kochhar had earlier successfully taken up the issue of cremation of mortal remains of Indian freedom fighters killed in 1857 and buried in a well at Ajnala.
Earlier, even the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) had asked Punjab Police to change over to conventional turbans as the existing headgear was not in accordance with the Sikh maryada (code of Sikh religious conduct) due to its cap-like look. SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said he had already taken up the issue with deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.


Former superintendent of police S S Chinna, who is president of the district police pensioners’ welfare association, said, “Wearing turbans with a fringe hampers the day-to-day functioning of policemen as these are uncomfortable and unwieldy.”
“Turbans in blue with a red fringe are worn by constables and head constables while assistant sub-inspectors and sub-inspectors have a green trim in their ceremonial turbans,” said Amritsar police commissioner J S Aulakh.
Agreeing that tying the turban with a trim was a tedious task, Aulakh said it took around two hours to tie one and it could be worn for a maximum of two weeks.
Times View
Punjab Police constabulary is 'still stuck with a blue turban with a red fringe introduced during the British rule. The force needs to tailor its headgear according to the new challenges and changing environment. It should jettison this symbol reminiscent of the colonial era and go in for practical headgear.
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