A former traffic agent who was fired from the NYPD for
refusing to remove his turban or cut his beard, tenets of his Sikh religious
beliefs, will file a civil rights lawsuit Tuesday in a move that could
ultimately change the traditional appearance of the nation’s largest and most
storied police force.
The Sikh Coalition will file a federal lawsuit on behalf of Amric Singh
Rathour, 26, of Ozone Park, in Manhattan’s federal court claiming that the
NYPD’s turban prohibition and strict beard regulations constitute unlawful
employment discrimination, according to Prabhjot Singh, spokesman for the
nonprofit organization promoting Sikh culture.
Amric’s lawsuit, at long last, will give the Sikh community its day in court,
Rathour’s attorney Ravinder Singh Bhalla said. It has come down to a point
where this case is not about safety, recognizability, esprit de corps, it comes
down to discrimination, a stubborn agency that refuses to listen. If Sikh
officers in other countries are serving honorably, how is New York City any
different?
Rathour was sworn in as an NYPD traffic agent on June 18, 2001. But soon after
starting his training, a supervisor approached told him he was in violation of
the department’s guidelines that allow beards of no more than 1 millimeter in
length and require that any religious headwear fit completely under the traffic
agent eight-point hat without any articles visible.
Rathour’s attempts to be granted religious accommodation were denied and on
Aug. 27, 2001 he was fired after refusing to remove his beard and turban.
I feel kind of betrayed, he said. I thought this was my country. I was born
and raised here, I never felt I was different than anyone else. But after this,
the way the city has treated me, it makes me feel inferior.
Rathour has been working for an express parcel delivery service at Kennedy
Airport. In addition to regaining his job, the lawsuit will seek any monetary
loss Rathour suffered and attorney fees.
I want Sikhs to know in the community and world that we have a place here in
the United States where we’re welcomed and where we’re treated equally, he
said.
Corporation Counsel spokeswoman Kate O’Brien Ahlers said the city hasn’t been
served with the lawsuit yet and can’t comment on it until they’ve had a chance
to evaluate it.