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SGPC seeks MEA intervention says NYPD stopping Sikh troopers from growing beard is violation
The president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has objected to the New York Police Department's policy of stopping Sikh policemen from growing their beards, citing safety issues. He has called on the Indian Ambassador to the United States and the Union minister of external affairs to intervene and ensure the policy is amended.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami on Tuesday objected to the policy of the New York Police Department (NYPD) of stopping Sikh policemen from growing their beard. He wrote a letter in this regard to the Indian Ambassador to the United States (US) Taranjit Singh Sandhu and also sought intervention from the Union minister of external affairs S Jaishankar.
In his letter, Dhami said the NYPD policy of stopping a Sikh policeman from growing a beard sighting safety issues was not rational.
“Stopping Sikh policemen from growing beards on the basis that it posed a safety issue regarding the use of gas masks is wrong. Even if a Sikh trooper has a fully grown beard, the gas mask can easily be worn by tying the unshorn beard while serving on such a duty. An example of this is the Sikh soldiers serving in the Indian Army, one of the world’s top military forces”, Dhami said.
“Initiated Sikhs do not cut hair, and keeping hair unshorn for a lifetime is one of the commitments towards the Sikh religion and the Gurus (masters). By adopting such a discriminatory policy, the Sikhs are being forced away from their religion by the NYPD, thus also limiting employment opportunities for the initiated Sikh community in a democratic country like the US”, Dhami added.
In a country like the USA, the religious beliefs and customs of Sikhs are no longer a matter of introduction, and the community has the right to practice their religion, he added.
The SGPC president requested the Indian ambassador to raise the issues with his counterparts in the USA. He also requested that the Indian Embassy in the USA at Washington DC to also follow up on this case to ensure that such a discriminatory policy of NYPD is amended to protect the rights of the Sikh community.
