A Surrey man, Kanwaljit Singh, has filed a lawsuit against the
RCMP alleging excessive force for ripping his turban off his head and pulling
his hair out of its topknot while he was in custody on June 30, 2017. Singh claims
that RCMP also twisted his arm and grabbed his hair. One of the officers
involved has been identified as Sergeant Brian Blair who was the non-commissioned officer in
charge of the Surrey RCMP detachment holding cell area.
Singh calls himself a “devout
Sikh man who wears his turban as part of his religious practice.” He views the
removal of the turban as a violent action that is “an
insult to those beliefs.”
The defendants in the suit to the BC Supreme Court include
the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General of BC, the Attorney General
of Canada and Sergeant Blair.
RCMP claim that their policy and practice does not allow the
wearing of turbans in holding cells. They do not deny removing Singh’s turban
but say doing so was not excessive.
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