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Woman arrested for
trying to rip Sikh's turban
at US restaurant
WSN
Network
 WASHINGTON: A New Jersey woman has been arrested on charges of bias
intimidation and harassment after she tried to rip off a Sikh man's
turban at a restaurant.
"I could feel a hand
pulling this off," said 38-year-old Hansdip Singh Bindra, who was at
the popular bar with a colleague just after midnight. "Removing my
turban in public is akin to giving me a strip search," he said.
Police said Carrie
Covello, 37, grabbed the turban while standing behind Bindra at the
bar. She then apparently asked him, "Why are you wearing that on
your head?"
"You're out for an
evening with colleagues and this is the last thing you'd expect"
Bindra said, adding he had asked Covello if there was a problem.
"She said 'Take it
off, I don't like it,'" Bindra was quoted as saying by media in US.
Bindra alerted the bouncer and called the police, who arrested
Covello on Wednesday. Covello admitted to "touching" the turban, but
told the police she was only joking and didn't mean anything by it,
police said.
Covello was charged
with bias intimidation and harassment and the prosecutor's office
will ultimately determine if her actions at the bar were based on
some kind of religious or ethnic bias.
Bindra, who was
earlier involved in a 2003 religious bias lawsuit against Delta
Airlines, said he wanted Covello to be prosecuted. "If these people
don't face the consequences, this will happen over and over again,"
he said.
Dave Carney, the
owner of the restaurant, apologised for the incident and condemned
Covello's actions.
6 February 2008
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