Seek stop to US turban checking, Badal urges PM

CHANDIGARH - Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal Monday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ensure that Sikh turbans were not checked and Sikhs were not humiliated in US airports.

After India’s UN envoy Hardeep Singh Puri was patted down by security officials at the Austin airport and his turban checked, Badal said the US administration needed to be told to stop this.

“The repeated humiliation of Sikhs due to patting down of their turbans at US airports is causing resentment among Sikhs,” Badal said.

Badal wrote to the prime minister asking that he take up the issue with US President Barack Obama.

Badal said: “The turban is the religious attire of every Sikh and disrespect shown to the turban will hurt the religious sentiments of Sikhs residing all over the world.”