CHANDIGARH: A baptised female Sikh student character, derided by her friends for hair on her body in JK Rowling ’s latest novel ‘ The Casual Vacancy ’, has earned the author a rebuke from Sikh’s highest temporal seat, Akal Takht . Its representative body, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee ( SGPC ), has sought removal of the text and an apology from Rowling.

Rowling, whose latest novel has been written with a Sikh family at the heart of its plot, has a character, Fats, describing his classmate Sukhvinder as “mustachioed, yet large-mammaried, scientists remain baffled by the contradictions of the hairy man-woman” on page 120. While describing Rowling’s choice of words as “a slur on the Sikh community and provocative", SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar said the author must apologize or remove the text from her book in India or face action.

“Even if the author had chosen to describe the female Sikh character’s physical traits, there was no need for her to use provocative language, questioning her gender. This is condemnable,” said Makkar. He refused to say what action the body was planning. A paragraph before the Sikh student’s physical description reads even more slanderous, “‘The great hermaphrodite sits quiet and still,’ murmured Fats, his eyes fixed on the back of Sukhvinder’s head.”

Social media incident involving American Sikh girl

The controversy comes close on the heels of an incident involving an American Sikh student Balpreet Kaur, who was mocked for her sideburns and a beard after her pictures were posted on a social networking site, Reditt. Kaur, a neuroscience student, had said: “Yes, I realize that my gender is often confused and I look different than most women. However, baptized Sikhs believe in the sacredness of this body — it’s a gift that has been given to us by the divine being (which is genderless, actually) and, must keep it intact as a submission to the divine will.” She had written this back on the thread on the site.

Rowling, while launching her book on Thursday, said that she had admitted to using ample research on Sikh religion. She said she had been deeply influenced by Sikhism because of its stress on gender equality. “It’s an amazing religion. My interest was sparked years ago when I was still in my 20s — and a girl I worked with briefly came from a Sikh family.”

