£10,000 payout for turban row Pc
Pc Gurmeal Singh
Pc Gurmeal Singh was asked to remove his turban during riot training
A Sikh policeman has been awarded £10,000 in compensation after he was ordered to remove his turban for riot training by Greater Manchester Police.
An employment tribunal ruled Gurmeal Singh, 31, had been subject to "indirect discrimination" and harassment.
The tribunal had been told a sergeant asked Pc Singh: "Can you take that thing off?"
Judge Murray Creed said this was a "violation" of his "dignity".
He was awarded £3,500 for indirect discrimination and £6,500 for harassment after suffering psychological damage, injury to feelings and personal injury, the tribunal ruled.
The officer, who joined Greater Manchester Police in 2004, is a baptised and practising Sikh and it is against his religion to remove his turban in public or modify it.
He said he suffered panic attacks, stress and palpitations and had to go off sick from work over the issue during a long-running dispute with his employers.
Out of the officer's 15 grievances, two were ruled in his favour: Harassment from a superior and "indirect discrimination" because the rules around the riot training lacked "clarity".
in other news, a local vicar has sued for having to work sundays, saying it ruins his golf....
ok, the second one was a joke, but seriously... riot training, you HAVE to wear a helmet, and for safety of him, his fellow officers and the general public, surely he knew doing this what would happen?
this isnt a relion piece, its a commen sense piece... can people stop suing... one of the reasons the police dont have the mopney to do there job is people that work for them keep suing them. it almost seems like people go for a job there just so they can be ina position to sue!!!
MADNESS!!!!!