A Winnipeg man has sparked a debate over religious freedom after claiming he was barred from taking a police recruitment exam because he was carrying a Sikh kapan.Jaspal Singh Gill says his dreams of becoming a police officer were “destroyed” after he was allegedly asked to remove a ceremonial dagger before taking a recruitment exam for the Winnipeg Police Service.“A Winnipeg man says his religious rights were violated after he was not allowed to carry a ceremonial dagger during a Winnipeg Police Service recruitment exam. He is demanding an apology and said he may file a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission,” CTV anchor Daniel Halmarsson said in introducing the report.Gill said he comes from a police family in India and it has always been his dream to join the police force.“My goal is to become a police officer like my father and grandfather. […] I was told I couldn’t take it with me [the kirpan] in. This violates my religious rights,” he said.According to Gill, the recruiter told him that he would not be allowed to take the exam unless he removed the gram pan, which Sikhs are required to wear as part of their faith.“It has been a long-standing personal goal of mine to join the police force because both my grandfather and father were police officers in India,” Gill said.He added: “The recruitment officials came to me and they told me you have to take off your skirt to sit for the exam.”The kirpan is one of the five K’s of Sikhism and is considered a sacred faith object, symbolizing courage, justice and the duty to protect others. It resembles a small dagger, but Sikhs claim it was not intended to be used as a weapon.“We wear it to symbolize courage and our responsibility to fight injustice,” Gill said.Gill said he refused to remove the chuck and instead chose to leave the exam center.“I had to do it just like my dream was shattered at the time. I thought it was discrimination because all the other participants were allowed but I wasn’t allowed just because I was wearing a kirpan, which is a Sikh article of faith,” he added.In a statement to CTV News, the Winnipeg Police Service defended its actions, saying it had offered the Sikh applicant a compromise and put the dagger aside until the exam was over.“We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and religious groups. The option to store kirpan securely during exams has been accepted by many applicants in the past and has enabled them to complete the testing process,” a police spokesman said.But Gill argued that his Charter rights had been violated, pointing to a previous Supreme Court of Canada ruling that protected the wearing of kirpan in public places.“Khalsa people can wear kirpan in courts, wear kirpan during rallies, wear kirpan on domestic flights,” he said.Neil MacArthur, a professor at the University of Manitoba and a legal expert, said if Gill takes legal action, he may have a good case.“Given that we have a pretty clear Supreme Court precedent, I think his odds in the court proceedings are probably pretty good,” MacArthur said.Gill said he has contacted the local Department of Justice and submitted a Freedom of Information request to learn more about the police department’s policies. Despite the controversy, he insists he has not given up on his goal of becoming a police officer.