US allows Sikh army officers to wear turban

Washington, Oct 21: The US Government has allowed Sikhs to serve as federal officers while keeping their turbans and beards.

Sikh Coalition, a community advocacy group said that the reversal of a ban comes after a discrimination case filed by a Sikh army officer.

According to the group, the lawsuit settlement and change in policy are a major civil rights victory for the Sikh community.

The lawsuit was brought jointly by the Sikh Coalition, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area on a complaint from Raghbir Singh.

Earlier, the FPS's prohibited Raghbir Singh from wearing a turban or keeping a beard on the job. Under these policies, contract security officers had to wear a uniform hat and be clean-shaven.

He requested that the government accommodate his Sikh articles of faith. However, FPS refused and forced him off the contract. Singh reached out to the Sikh Coalition for help in Nov 2005.

As a result, Sikhs can now serve as contract security guards with the federal government with unshorn hair, beards, turbans, and kirpans.

OneIndia News