Washington: Six years after he was denied a job as a prison guard in California because he refused to shave off his beard, an Indian-American Sikh has been made a correctional officer at a California jail. He's also won $295,000 in damages.
Trilochan Singh Oberoi, 63, reached a settlement with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and can report to work from November 1.
"Oberoi's legal battle exemplifies the challenges many Sikhs face in the US in seeking private and government employment after 9/11, as widespread ignorance, prejudice and hate pose serious challenges to equal opportunity for South Asians, and particularly Sikh Americans, who are often mistaken for Middle Eastern terrorists," said attorney Harmeet K Dhillon, who represented Oberoi.
In 2005, Oberoi applied for a position as a correctional officer with the CDCR, according to a statement issued today.
Oberoi advanced to the final stage of the application process, which involved a test that needed him to wear a special respirator mask - for this, he was told, he had to shave his beard.
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