New York, Sept 17: A Sikh businessman has filed a lawsuit against a major airlines, its affiliate and a flight attendant alleging racial profiling, intimidation and harassment during a routine commercial flight for sporting a beard and turban. This is first such lawsuit to be filed by a Sikh American though several were targeted after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the mistaken belief they are followers of Osama bin Laden because they wear the traditional gear.
In the lawsuit, Hansdip S. Bindra, 34, who was born in India, charged that Delta Airlines, its affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines and flight attendant Janet Thomas violated his civil rights on a flight in November 2002.
The suit, filed in a court in Newark, New Jersey, yesterday says that Bindra, a software consultant, boarded in Newark a flight bound for Dayton, Ohio.
He alleges that Thomas berated him and referred to him as a middle eastern man when he retook his seat after retrieving a magazine from the overhead bin.
When he tried to explain that he was a Sikh and not middle eastern, Thomas told him to "shut up" and "do not cause any problems". Bureau Report