A Sikh content creator, who primarily posts on TikTok, allegedly filed a police complaint after he was removed from a gym in Canada for carrying a kirpan, a ceremonial knife that is one of the five articles of faith observed by initiated Sikhs.

The creator, identified as Gulpratap Singh Khalsa, said that the kirpan was a religious symbol rather than a weapon. The employee who asked Khalsa to leave reportedly cited the private business’s rights to enforce its policies.

The incident took place at Goodlife Fitness on Dougall Avenue in Windsor, Ontario. Khalsa filmed the interaction on his phone, alleging the gym had violated his human rights by attempting to remove him from the complex for carrying a kirpan.

He further accused the employee of racial profiling before filing a formal police complaint. The incident went viral on social media, prompting GoodLife Fitness Senior VP Tracy Matthews to issue a statement. After an internal review, the involved employee was fired.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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GoodLife also revealed that they reached out to Khalsa directly and compensated him following the incident. An Instagram reel about the incident has amassed 1.9 million views and more than 22,000 comments. While many netizens sided with Khalsa, accusing the employee of being insensitive and engaging in racial profiling, others argued religious symbols should not make others feel threatened and that a knife remains a weapon, regardless of context and setting.

One user said, “The employee did the right thing. A knife is a weapon, period!” Another user noted, “An American user, noting the similarity between the situation and gun culture in the United States, said, ‘I’m a Texan. Guns are part of my culture. I don’t get to carry a gun in the gym. Simple.” A third user wrote, “I was born in this religion, and I see no reason why they feel the need to impose that blade in public places.”

A fourth user wrote, “Keep up the good work, GoodLife,” while another said, “That blade probably is dull and unable to cut the tomato. It’s like a neutralized gun, useless as a weapon; it is just a symbol.”

Canada’s Supreme Court passed a judgment in 2006 that a complete ban on kirpans would go against the freedom of religion. In 2012, it also became legal for observant Sikhs to carry kirpans into court under certain conditions. GoodLife Fitness’s own policies reportedly allow the wearing of kirpans, which makes the removal of Khalsa from the gym a violation of the company’s own policies.

Disclaimer: Inquisitr individually could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.