The world we live in abides by a lot of brackets that have been devised and put in place to segregate beliefs and believers. While the blame is shared by a lot of factors, mostly man-made, the most pressing problem in the path of inclusivity is posed by preconceived notions and assimilated bigotry. But at least, we are trying.
Yes, the world has finally woken up to the cause of ethnic inclusiveness and the New York Police Department has an example for the rest of the globe. In a bid to foster an all-embracing attitude, the NYPD has inducted its first female and turbaned Sikh officer.
Meet Gursoach Kaur who graduated last week from the New York City Police Academy and will join the law enforcement force as an Auxiliary Police Officer (APO).
The news was shared on social media by the Sikh Officers Association and has been garnering a lot of support online.
We are proud to welcome first #Sikh Turbaned female Auxiliary Police Officer in the @NYPDnews. APO Gursoach Kaur and other Auxiliary Police Officers graduated from the Academy. We are proud of you. Stay safe. #sikhsinlawenforcement pic.twitter.com/P4q2ysUVbK
— Sikh Officers Assoc. (@SikhOfficers) May 16, 2018
The induction comes after the benchmark decision of 2016, where NYPD, for the first time relaxed its uniform policy and allowed its Sikh officers to wear turbans and maintain beards.
It was done to promote and encourage the minority community members to join the force and Kaur’s recruitment certainly marks the beginning of the same.
Needless to say, since the word got out, it’s raining wishes…
Minister of State (MoS) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, congratulated Kaur.
Delighted to see a turbaned lady officer in NYPD. Hope this fosters better understanding of Sikhism & Sikhs & corrects perceptions in US so that incident which happened with me in 2010 & recently with @Canada minister @NavdeepSBains do not recur.
Sikhs are ambassadors of harmony https://t.co/cviJAI6hWD
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) May 19, 2018
In 2010, reportedly, when he was an ambassador to the UN, security officers at the Houston Airport had asked him to remove his turban.
True that!
You are a proud daughter of our 10 Guru's. Inclusivity and fairness for all. God bless you and all other brave Sikh officers serving in the police and other armed forces. @SikhOfficers @SikhCouncilUK @Sikh2Inspire
— The $onicator (@hs0931) May 16, 2018
And we are looking forward to all of those.
Congrats brothers & sister for making our small community proud….We all believe you'll respect the law of the land that you are serving..and set benchmarks for others to follow .. All The Best.
— Indi Singh (@indianspry) May 20, 2018
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”
What a moment! This is a perfect example of “when the going gets tough, the tough get going!” Proud of you #gursoachkaur @PTC_Network check this out! 😃 #MondayMotivaton #BeingAmrita #ChefAndBeyond pic.twitter.com/R1XTphwAI3
— Amrita Raichand (@amritaraichand) May 21, 2018
Proud is the word!
New York’s Police Dept. gets its first Turbaned Sikh female Auxiliary Police Officer. APO Gursoach Kaur’s graduation to the @NYPDnews is a great achievement for Sikhs in law enforcement and Sikh Officers Association! We are proud of you. Stay safe! @SikhOfficers pic.twitter.com/1CcDV7aRYf
— Harjinder Singh Kukreja (@SinghLions) May 19, 2018
Wish others thought like that.
Proud moment for sikhs but also reflects the inclusive culture of NYPD. Corporates ‘ have much to learn from this Govt entity https://t.co/aTLEb7CWpF
— Dilpreet Singh (@DPDilpreet) May 20, 2018
The move is definitely a step in the right direction and we hope that others will also follow suit.