Bengal BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday offered apologies for hurting the Sikh community’s sentiments on Thursday, following an angry statement from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee demanding stern action against him by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

In a statement on X on Tuesday, Majumdar wrote: “On June 12th, during a peaceful and democratic protest in front of the residence of the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, at Kalighat, Kolkata, I, along with several senior state leaders and karyakartas of the Bharatiya Janata Party Paschimbaga, was detained by the Kolkata Police and forcefully placed in a prison van.”

“Amidst the chaotic circumstances, a placard I hurled in protest - which symbolically represented a slipper, accidentally landed the (sic) sacred turban of a Sikh CISF personnel assigned to my security,” added the junior Union minister.

“If this unfortunate and unintended incident has hurt the religious sentiments of any member of the Sikh community, I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies. It was never my intention to cause any offence or disrespect.”

Majumdar’s statement followed the Committee’s statement on Monday evening. The Committee is a foremost organisation in the community, responsible for the management of gurdwaras, in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. It administers the Darbar Sahib (the Golden Temple) in Amritsar, the preeminent spiritual site of Sikhism.

“Both I and every karyakarta of the Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal, hold the religious beliefs, the sanctity of the turban, and the revered traditions of the Sikh community in the highest esteem,” wrote Majumdar.

Visuals widely circulated on social media by the Trinamool Congress and others show that while courting arrest, Majumdar had hurled from the police van doors a cutout of a picture of a pair of white-and-blue Hawaii sandals — akin to what the chief minister wears — which hit the Sikh paramilitary personnel’s turban.

Last year, the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari had called IPS officer Jaspreet Singh a “Khalistani”, causing a stir nationally. Sikh organisations staged demonstrations in front of the BJP state headquarters in Calcutta for 36 days.

In Sikhism, the turban (the Dastaar) covers the Kesh (long, unshorn hair) and is a major symbol of socio-religious identity, honour and commitment to the faith.

On Monday, Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami issued a statement condemning Majumdar’s act.

“It is unfortunate and disgraceful when someone holding a constitutional position engages in such a deplorable act,” said Dhami in the statement, urging the Centre to initiate strict disciplinary action against Majumdar to uphold communal harmony and preserve public trust.