Benipal, a former army official, was known for his integrity and he had exposed many corrupt deals in the revenue department where he works as a tehsildar. He was allegedly assaulted and stripped by the Akali activists in Ludhiana, some 100 km from here, since he refused to act on the diktats of various party leaders.

Condemning the incident, Congress legislature Sukhpal Singh Khaira said: 'It's a matter of great shame for Punjabis all over the world that a senior Sikh officer has chosen to attend office sans his turban. Benipal was targeted by unscrupulous elements and his decision of not wearing a turban is a strong slap on the face of Akali government.

'It is meaningless to take up the issues of French government banning turbans or the US Army not allowing Sikhs to wear their headgear, when we cannot save the turban in our own state,' he added.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had condemned the assault on Benipal, saying that the government would not tolerate such acts. However, no action was taken against the accused.