Harbhajan apologises to Sikh body

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New Delhi: Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has apologised to the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) for wearing his hair open in an advertisement.

"I apologise if I have hurt Sikh sentiments. It was not my intention to do so. In future I will take care of this," he said on Saturday.

However, he also slammed the SGPC for taking up the issue in media.

"It's bad that the SGPC took up the issue in media. If they had any problem, they should have called me like a son and told me. But, their action was wrong," he said.

On Friday the SGPC, considered as a mini-Parliament of the Sikhs, had demanded an apology from the bowler for having flouted the norms of his religion that does not permit Sikh men to let their hair down.

The SGPC objected to the fact that the advertisement was for a company that is associated with a well-known liquor brand.

"Harbhajan Singh should apologise for appearing in the advertisement if he considers himself to be a Sikh. Our religion prohibits keeping one's hair open. We also strongly object to his appearing in the advertisement in this fashion," SGPC President Avtar Singh said.

He said that since Harbhajan was born and brought up in a Sikh family, he should have known that his religion did not permit keeping free-flowing hair.

"We are not even supposed to eat if our hair is not tied," he said.

SGPC chief said Harbhajan should have refrained himself from appearing in the advertisement of the company, which is associated with a well-known liquor brand.

"It just shows that a cricketer like him has only commercial angle in his mind. We want to know that if his objective is only to make money. He is a role model for young Sikhs, he should have thought what affect it will have on them before agreeing to do the advertisement," he said.

Avtar Singh said they would also seek apology from the company, which had given the advertisement, which also figures other popular cricket stars Yuvraj Singh and Mahender Singh Dhoni along with the spinner.

The SGPC head said Harbhajan should learn something from English spinner Monty Panesar.

"Panesar is also a Sikh, but brought and bred up abroad. If he can promote Sikhism while playing for England and staying in that country, then Harbhajan too should learn something from him. On earlier occasions too the SGPC had urged Harbhajan not to do any such action for easy money which harms the image of Sikhs," he said.