No one can force religion on others: SGPC

Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur spoke on alleged conversion of a Sikh girl into Islam in Kashmir through marriage. She said India is a democracy and no one can force a child to adhere to doctrines of a particular religion. “As Sikhs, it is the family’s duty to educate and encourage their children to follow the Sikh way of life. We, as the SGPC can only preach about the religion but no one can force a religion on someone.” She said the family and relatives of the girl who got married into a Muslim family had approached the SGPC and also tried to convince the girl to convert back to Sikh religion. “The girl instead did not relent and as such we can’t force anything on her,” Jagir Kaur said.