New Delhi: Vivek Pal Singh, the son of former Army chief Gen JJ Singh, has become the first Sikh to have been elected as the municipal commissioner of any city in France. "In March, the son of former Army chief Gen JJ Singh became the first Sikh in France to have been elected as the Municipal Commissioner in Normandy," French Ambassador Francois Richier told reporters here.

The French ambassador discussed the achievement of the former Army chief's son when asked about the ban in France on displaying religious symbols in schools. Vivek Pal Singh, 42, has been living in France for the last many years and is married to a French lady. The family of the former Army chief has a long history of association with France as his grandfather had participated in the first World War and was deployed in France.