The Sikhs are outraged after the Pakistani Model's 'bare-headed' pictures float on social media for a brand.
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The brand had recently posted a picture of a Pakistani model in their red kurti. The problem with the advertisement was that it was shot in Kartarpur Sahib Gurudwara and the model was 'bare-headed', that is without a dupatta or scarf.
The owner of the online store had shared many photos of a model wearing her brand dress that was clicked within the boundaries of Gurudwara that spiked the controversy as it was considered 'unacceptable' by the Sikhs.
Another issue with these pictures was that the model was facing her back to the Gurudwara which reportedly hurt the sentiments of the community.
Everyone covers their head while entering the Gurudwara irrespective of their gender and age. This sparked a controversy that led to the Indian Sikh community demanding strict action against the model and the owner of the online store.
Pakistan Minister Fawad Chaudhry stated that the designer and the model must apologise to Sikh Community. He added that Kartarpur Sahib is a religious symbol and not a Film set. The brand has removed all its posts, apologised for its error, and distanced itself from the photoshoot.
The brand posted the following statement on Instagram:
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“The pictures posted on our accounts are not part of any shoot done by Mannat Clothing. These pictures were provided to us by a third-party in which they were wearing our dress. Please note that Mannat has absolutely no role in deciding how and where the pictures were taken. However, we accept our mistake that we should not have posted this content and we apologise to every single person who was offended by this. All the holy places are very sacred to us. The pictures and posts have been removed from all our media channels. Again, we apologise wholeheartedly for hurting the public sentiment. Believe us when we say we had no such intention,"
After a controversy broke on social media with political leaders complaining of a Pakistani model posing "bareheaded" at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur, the model Sauleha apologised for "hurting sentiments". The model allegedly was shooting for a clothing brand. Although both the brand and the model have clarified that the pictures were not part of the photoshoot.
The post was made by a brand on Monday and it showed the model in pink coloured pants and kurta posing for pictures in front of the Gurdwara. The post was made on Instagram, a social media platform.
The pictures were reshared by Shiromani Akali Dal spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa and others who pointed out that the model was bareheaded in the pictures and it is disrespectful towards a religious place of the Sikh community. It is considered mandatory to cover one's head at a gurdwara. It is a way of showing respect for the revered place.
Sirse tweeted, "Such behaviour and act at pious place of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji is totally unacceptable! Can she dare to do the same at her religious place in Pakistan? @ImranKhanPTI @GovtofPakistan sdh tk immed action to stop this trend of treating Sri Kartarpur Sahib as picnic spot by Pak people."
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Sirse shared screenshots of the brand's post on Instagram.
After his posts, Pakistan police have initiated a probe into the incident and said that strict legal action will be taken against those responsible.
To all this, the model apologised through a post on Instagram, which read, "Recently I posted a picture on Instagram that was not even a part of a shoot or anything. I just went to Kartarpur to learn about the history and know about the Sikh community. It wasn't done to hurt anyone sentiments or anything for that matter. However, if I have hurt anyone or they think that I don't respect there culture. I am Sorry."
This is not the first time in India that social media posts at religious places have gotten people in trouble. Influencer Aarti Sahu from Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh was charged by the state police for "hurting religious sentiment". She was seen dancing to Bollywood songs outside a temple. Sahu has close to 2.5 million followers on Instagram.
Another woman from Madhya Pradesh, Manisha Roshan was charged on similar lines after her videos of dancing inside a temple at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh fetched outrage for hurting religious sentiments. She has to submit a letter of apology to the police as well as apologise online.
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