Reports that the Indian Army has proposed to buy helmets for Sikh soldiers have sparked a controversy.
The Akal Takht and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) have reportedly appealed to the Union government to have the proposal to buy 13,000 helmets for Sikh troops withdrawn.
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that a similar move by the British during World War II had been rejected by Sikhs.
SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said that the turban is a symbol of Sikh pride, and the new proposal is an attack on Sikh 'maryada' (code of conduct).