NEW YORK, New York, USA—A group representing the Sikh community accused the NYPD of religious discrimination earlier this week.
Members of the Sikh Coalition, speaking from their Manhattan headquarters, alleged the NYPD barred Sikhs from the department because they don’t allow them to wear turbans in place of police-issued hats.
“NYPD policy allows Sikhs to wear turbans that fit beneath department-issued hats,” a police spokeswoman said in a statement.
Wearing turbans is a tenet of the religion.
The accusations follow attacks against a Sikh man in Queens in July and another one in Roosevelt Island this month.
“The NYPD cannot protect us from bias if it’s perpetuating bias,” Rajdeep Singh of the Sikh coalition said.
