Sikh youth dragged out of UK club for wearing turban
VICTIMISED Amrik Singh tried to explain to a bouncer that turban was part of his religion, but his pleas were ignored and he was dragged away from his friends before being thrown out
LONDON: A Sikh law student in the UK felt “victimised” after he was dragged out of a bar because he was wearing a turban, media reports said. Amrik Singh, 22, claimed that he was ordered to leave Rush Late Bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on Saturday for wearing his religious headgear, BBC reported. Singh was told that the bar had a “no headwear” policy.
LONDON: A Sikh law student in the UK felt “victimised” after he was dragged out of a bar because he was wearing a turban, media reports said.
Amrik Singh, 22, claimed that he was ordered to leave Rush Late Bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, on Saturday for wearing his religious headgear, BBC reported. Singh was told that the bar had a “no headwear” policy.
He tried to explain to a bouncer who approached him that the turban protected his hair and was part of his religion. But his pleas were ignored and he was “dragged away” from his friends before being removed from the venue, the report said.
The bouncer also told Singh: “I didn’t think you were allowed to come in a pub and drink anyway.”
“I’m heartbroken. I was dragged out of the bar because I refused to remove my turban,” Singh wrote on Facebook.
“The bouncer approached me saying he needed to remove my turban, Singh was quoted in the report.
“I explained that a turban isn’t just headgear, but part of my religion and that it protected my hair and that I was allowed to wear a turban in public,” he said.
“The bouncer ignored this and said I needed to take it off. I refused and was subsequently dragged away from my friends,” he added.
“The fact that I was being removed because of my religious views really upset me. My ancestors have fought for the British army previously,” the Sun reported.
“Furthermore, me and my parents were born in Britain and all uphold British values. The worst part of it was the fact he compared my turban to wearing a pair of trainers,” Singh, a finalyear law student at Nottingham Trent University, said.
The management, however, has apologised and said the staff involved faced suspension pending an investigation.
In a statement to the Labour councillor for Mansfield, Sonya Ward, Rush Late Bar said it was not their policy.
“Good morning, this is absolutely NOT our policy. We are investigating this incident and the security member in question has been suspended,” Ward shared the statement on Twitter.
In February, a Sikh environmental activist’s turban was ripped by a white man shouting “Muslim go back” during a racist attack outside the UK Parliament.