Sydney cops react to Sikh's humiliation after MP intervenes

[Amelia]

Sydney cops react to Sikh's humiliation after MP intervenes

IANS Monday 2nd July, 2007

Police in Sydney have finally circulated CCTV images of the two suspects who had ripped off a Sikh man's turban in a bus four months ago, after a Sikh group took up the incident with the local MP.

Inderjeet Singh Dhaliwal was assaulted by two young men while travelling to work March 31 at Seven Hills. But police took the incident seriously only after Sikhs raised the matter with the local MP, Nathan Rees, who in turn wrote to the concerned minister.

The men had fled the scene of the incident leaving an embarrassed Dhaliwal to cover his head with a piece of cloth while another passenger laughed.

Dhaliwal reported the incident immediately to the police, who did not take it seriously, the Daily Telegraph reported.

'The police said it is not an assault - it is a minor theft,' Dhariwal said.

'They asked how much the turban was worth. I was so disheartened when they talked to me,' he added.

'The turban is a religious symbol. It is part of the faith that you keep your head covered at all times.' Australian Sikh Association spokesperson Kuldeep Singh said.

'Ripping the turban from someone's head is very offensive. It is like taking a part of your body. It should be taken very seriously,' he said.

The quality of the CCTV footage from the bus-mounted cameras is poor and has so far yielded little result.