Sikh Sikh man denied entry to NBA game for wearing kirpan

A Sikh man is speaking out after he was denied entry to the Sacramento Kings game at Golden 1 Center for wearing his kirpan, a religious item.

Mandeep Singh, a 37-year-old community organizer in Sacramento for the Sikh nonprofit organization the Jakara Movementkara Movement, said he was stopped at security earlier this week and told he couldn't enter with his kirpan, a ceremonial dagger.

He said it was particularly surprising to him because he worked closely with the team as an ambassador for community engagement to bring in fans from the local Sikh community on several occasions. He had been invited to a Holi-themed night at the arena the week before.

Singh said that after removing all his belongings from his pockets, the security guard checked him with a metal-detecting wand. Singh said when he hovered over the kirpan, which was worn under his shirt, he was a baptized Sikh and was wearing it as a part of his religion.

Baptized Sikhs are required to carry or maintain five articles of the Sikh faith: kesh unshorn hair kara steel bracelet kanga small wooden comb kachera undershorts and a kirpan.

I talked to him and tried to explain what it was. I was like, This hasn't been an issue before. He said that many people who came in with a kirpan were not budging. Singh asked to speak with a supervisor and was told the same thing.

He had planned to attend the game with a co-worker and a high school student as part of his nonprofit program. After 10 minutes passed, he told them to just go on without him because he knew he wouldn't be allowed inside.

The Kings did not comment on the incident, and referred NBC News to the arena's prohibited items policies, which include weapons and dangerous devices of any kind. The NBA also didn't want to comment and referred NBC to the Kings.

He explained that it is part of who I am.

He shared a multi-tweet thread on Monday detailing the experience.

He said he didn't expect the tweet to garner so much attention, but he is grateful for the support from his community.

I was not sure if I was going to say anything, but then I thought about the youth we work with, he said. Singh said he had faced religious discrimination in the past that he brushed off, but knowing that a student was present, he had to speak up.

The incident came after a video of a Sikh student being handcuffed for wearing a kirpan at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte went viral online. Two months later, UNCC changed its campus policy to allow Sikh students to wear their kirpan.