Section of tollway renamed after Dhaliwal

A PORTION of a tollway in Houston was renamed after slain Indian-American police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal who was shot dead on duty during a traffic stop.

Dhaliwal, 42, was the first Sikh sheriff's deputy in Harris county with a population of over 10,000 Sikhs. He made national headlines when he was allowed to grow a beard and wear a turban on the job.

He was gunned down in September last year while conducting a routine mid-day traffic stop in northwest of Houston.

The Harris County Toll Road Authority put up the sign ‘HCSO

Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Tollway' near Texas 249 in the memory of the Indian-American police officer. A special ceremony was also performed at the Gurdwara Sikh National Centre on the occasion.

Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who hired Dhaliwal 10 years ago, said: 'I was honoured to commemorate a section of the Beltway 8 as ‘Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Tollway' to honour one of HC's finest who paid the ultimate sacrifice. His family attended the ceremony.'

Sim Singh, senior manager for policy and advocacy for the Sikh

Coalition, said Dhaliwal was a hero to the community and many religious minorities who aspired to have a career in public service. He said they are still continuing to fight for religious equality.

‘It's historic and it's a meaningful gesture to the Sikh community,' he said. The death of the beloved deputy sparked massive change within the sheriff's department.

Last month, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher introduced a bill to rename a west Harris County post office to ‘Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office'. The bill passed unanimously.