CHICAGO, USA, Dec 14 (UNI):The US army has announced that it will accept a second Sikh recruit,Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan, with his Sikh identity intact.
Captain Rattan, a military dentist, had refused to remove his dastaar/turban or shave his hair as a condition of joining the military.
Captain Tejdeep Singh and another inductee Captain Kamaljeet Singh received individual accommodations to Army policy.
There has not yet been a change to the overall policy excluding Sikhs fromservice.
The initiatives had been launched by an advocacy group named the Sikh Coalition on Vaisakhi 2009 that called upon the US Army to accept all Sikhs, including Captain Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi and Captain Tejdeep Singh Rattan into the military.
The Army had recently announced that Captain Kamaljeet Singh would be allowed to serve.
The US Army's acceptance of Captain Tejdeep Singh and Captain Kamaljeet Singh marks the first time in 23 years that the Army would accept Sikh recruits who maintain their articles of faith.
The individual accommodations for Captain Tejdeep Singh and Captain Kamaljeet Singh have significant implications for Sikhemployees.
The Army is America's largest and most prominent employer.Ending discrimination in the United States Army sends a message to all other employers, both private and public, that discrimination against Sikhs who maintain their articles of faith is not acceptable.
Though Sikhs have approached several police and sheriff's departments for jobs, they are often told that if Sikhs cannot serve as US soldiers, they cannot serve as police officers either.