In 2016, the New York City Police Department, the largest police force in the US, had announced a policy permitting Sikh officers to wear beards and turbans while in uniform
The Indian Embassy in Washington has raised concerns with senior levels of the administration regarding the case of a Sikh New York State Trooper, Charanjot Tiwana, who has been barred from growing a beard. Lawmakers have also voiced their unease over the incident, labeling it as a form of “religious discrimination,” according to PTI reports.
Interestingly, in 2016, the New York City Police Department, the largest police force in the US, had announced a policy permitting Sikh officers to wear beards and turbans while in uniform.
Tiwana, a New York State trooper, had requested permission to grow a beard for his wedding in March of the previous year. However, his request was denied on the grounds that maintaining a beard could pose a safety risk in case he needed to wear a gas mask.
Officials from the Indian Embassy in Washington took up the matter with the New York State Governor’s office. India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, has also engaged with senior levels of the Biden administration to address this issue. Officials have stated that both the New York State Police and the Governor’s office are actively working to resolve the situation.
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Harjinder Singh Dhami, the chief of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, wrote to Ambassador Sandhu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to strongly object to the discriminatory policy of the New York State Police
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The policy is seen as compelling Sikh troopers to cut their hair, thus impinging upon the rights of the Sikh community
Assemblyman David Weprin, who represents Queens in the New York State Assembly, strongly criticized the denial of Tiwana’s request to grow his beard. He labeled it as “a concerning incident of religious discrimination” within the New York State Police. Weprin pointed out that he had sponsored the Religious Garb Law, which was enacted in 2019 to prevent individuals from having to choose between their religious practices and their jobs. He called for immediate action by the New York State Police, expressing his dismay at the discriminatory practices and their violation of state law.
The report cited a New York State Police spokesperson who indicated that the guidelines pertaining to facial hair have been recently updated. The New York State Police Uniform and Equipment Committee is reportedly in the process of formulating a policy regarding the design and issuance of turbans.
Harjinder Singh Dhami, the chief of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, wrote to Ambassador Sandhu and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to strongly object to the discriminatory policy of the New York State Police. The policy is seen as compelling Sikh troopers to cut their hair, thus impinging upon the rights of the Sikh community.
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