Jaspal Singh Gill said his dream of becoming a police officer was “broken”

A Winnipeg man has sparked a debate over religious freedom by claiming he was barred from taking a police recruitment exam because he was carrying a Sikh kirpan.Jaspal Singh Gill said his dream of becoming a police officer was “shattered” when he was allegedly asked to remove a ceremonial dagger before sitting for the Winnipeg Police Service recruitment exam.“A Winnipeg man says his religious rights were violated because he was not allowed to bring his ceremonial dagger to a Winnipeg Police Service recruitment exam. He is apologizing and says he may file a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission,” CTV anchor Daniel Helmerson said in introducing the report.Gill says he comes from a family of police officers in India and it had been his long-time ambition to join the force.“My goal was to become a police officer like my father and grandfather. […] I was told I couldn’t bring it [the kirpan] Inside. This is a violation of my religious rights,” he said.According to Gill, recruitment staff told him he would not be allowed to sit for the exam unless he removed the kirpan, which Sikhs are required to wear as part of their faith.“My long-time personal goal was to join the police service as my grandfather and father were police officers in India,” Gill said.He added, “The recruiting officer came up to me and told me, like, you have to take off your saber to take the test.”The Kirpan is one of the five ‘K’s’ in Sikhism and is considered a sacred article of faith symbolizing courage, justice and the duty to protect others. It resembles a small dagger but Sikhs claim that it is not intended to be used as a weapon.“We wear it to symbolize our courage and our responsibility to fight against injustice,” Gill said.Gill said he refused to remove the saber and instead decided to leave the examination centre.He said, “I had to do that, like my dream was shattered at that time. I believe it is discrimination because all the other participants were allowed, but I was not allowed just because I was wearing a kirpan, which is a symbol of faith in Sikhism.”In a statement to CTV News, the Winnipeg Police Service defended its actions, saying the Sikh applicant was offered a compromise of putting the dagger aside until the exam was over.A police spokesperson said, “We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and religious communities. The option to safely store the saber for the duration of the examination has been accepted by many applicants in the past and has enabled them to complete the testing process.”But Gill argued that his Charter rights had been violated and pointed to previous Supreme Court of Canada decisions protecting the wearing of sabers in public places.“Khalsa is allowed to wear kirpan in court, is allowed to wear kirpan in assembly, is allowed to wear kirpan in domestic flights,” he said.Legal expert Neil MacArthur, a professor at the University of Manitoba, said Gill may have strong grounds if he takes legal action.“Given that we have a Supreme Court precedent that was pretty clear, I think his chances in the court process are probably pretty good,” MacArthur said.Gill said he has already contacted a local MLA and filed a freedom of information request to learn more about the police service’s policy. Despite the controversy, he insists that he has not given up on his goal of becoming a police officer.

US universities are seeing a decline in enrollment of foreign students, with experts warning that the decline could be even greater as Donald Trump’s harsh immigration policies reshape the country’s higher education system.A new report released Monday found that international student enrollment for the spring 2026 semester has declined by 20% compared to the same period last year. The study was conducted by international education groups including NAFSA and surveyed 149 universities and colleges across the US.More than 60% of institutions said they have recorded a low number of foreign students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Undergraduate enrollments were even more impacted, with universities experiencing an average decline of 24%.The figures have worried teachers, who fear the US is becoming a less welcoming destination for foreign students under Trump’s increasingly restrictive immigration agenda.Already, international student arrivals to the US in August are down 19% from last year, including returning students. Overall international student numbers fell by 1.4% last autumn, the first decline in three years. New foreign student enrollments for autumn 2025 fell by 17%.Analysts believe the latest figures could indicate an even bigger recession in the future because many of the students currently enrolled applied before the Trump administration implemented many of its harshest policies.“As long as the administration acts as if it is in a world full of enemies, it will have a serious impact on student numbers,” said Simon Marginson, professor of higher education at the University of Oxford and founding director of the Center for Global Higher Education.The report found that 84% of US institutions blamed “restrictive government policies” for enrollment declines.Since returning to office for a second time, Trump has expanded travel restrictions affecting more than a dozen countries, tightened student visa rules and increased scrutiny on foreign applicants, particularly Chinese students. The administration has also adopted aggressive deportation measures, including detaining some international students and canceling thousands of student visas, which were later reinstated.“The administration’s demonstrative display of hostility toward foreign students, including street seizures of students and forcibly expelling those on the data base for minor misdemeanors such as parking fines, has damaged awareness in the international market,” Marginson said.“Even in a more favorable environment, such perceptions take years to correct and the environment is not very favorable right now.”Universities are now beginning to feel the financial pressure. International students often pay full tuition fees, making them a major source of revenue for many institutions.NAFSA estimates that a 17% decline in new foreign student enrollments for autumn 2025 could cause universities to lose more than $1 billion in revenue. California, Massachusetts and New York are expected to take the biggest financial hit.Some universities have already started cutting costs. DePaul University in Chicago has reportedly instituted a hiring freeze, cut executive pay and restricted spending after a 30% drop in international enrollments. Other institutions, including the University of Southern California and Northwestern University, have also slashed budgets and cut jobs amid broader financial pressures.In addition to finances, the US may also fall behind academically as highly qualified foreign students are increasingly choosing universities elsewhere.The US, UK, Canada and Australia have long dominated the international education market, but Asian universities are now catching up. The report found that 82% of institutions in the Asia-Pacific region recorded growth in undergraduate international enrolments, while almost half of European institutions also saw growth.Countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and South Korea have all reported increases in the number of Chinese students in recent years.China itself is emerging as a strong global education hub, helped by low tuition costs, growing research investment, and scholarship programs for students from Asia and Africa.

Kagiso Rabada of Gujarat Titans (PTI Photo)

Kagiso Rabada continued his sensational IPL 2026 campaign with another devastating spell with the new ball, dismantling the Sunrisers Hyderabad top order and leveling up with some of the greatest powerplay bowling sessions in the history of the tournament. Rabada took 4-0-28-3 against SRH in Ahmedabad on Tuesday, proving once again why he has been the most destructive fast bowler of the season with the new ball. South African fast bowler out Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan And Smaran Ravichandran left Hyderabad in complete disarray during a brutal powerplay burst.