In 2022, a federal court ruled in favour of Sikh recruits keeping their beards and turbans in basic training. AI generated image for representation.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has announced a strict new grooming policy that effectively bans most beards in the US military, allowing exceptions only for elite special forces.
RTI activist Parvinder Singh Kittna, who has written repeatedly to officials — including the Chief Minister, Tourism Ministers, Secretary and Director of the Tourism Department and the Deputy Commissioner — said the site has only received “empty promises” in response.
“The condition of the memorial is heart-breaking,” Kittna said. “The government must deploy staff and organise at least one official event here annually.”
Advocate Jasveer Singh Rai, a local resident, echoed the sentiment. “This could have been a place of pride. If a sports academy or football club had been started here, the youth would have connected with our heritage in a positive way.”
The villagers and panchayat are now demanding that the government either take full responsibility for the memorial’s upkeep or formally transfer its management to the local administration, along with a dedicated grant for its restoration and development.
“We don’t want to see this monument turn into ruins,” said Sarpanch Rai. “We are ready to take responsibility — but the government must act before it’s too late. Either the government should take full responsibility for the memorial or hand it over fully to the panchayat, providing funds for its maintenance and development.”