lightning rod for the visceral battles fought by Sikh-Canadians to
define, in essence, the freedoms associated with being a Canadian, was
the turban issue in the RCMP. Baltej Singh Dhillon (Centennial Award
recipient in 1999), a Sikh raised in Malaysia, was denied entry into
the RCMP because of his refusal to remove his turban. Politicians vacillated
over the issue. Legionnaires and sundry other "outraged Canadians"
rallied to the flag to have the "hat" removed and to preserve
the tradition of the Stetson hat-wearing RCMP officer so romanticized
by Hollywood.(All this notwithstanding the fact that the uniform code
had been changed to accommodate women RCMP officers and that the then
RCMP Commissioner supported the wearing of the turban.)
Baltej
Singh Dhillon stands over six-feet tall but for over 300,000 Sikhs in
Canada, he is much taller. Not only is his name synonymous to a crusader
-- who fought for the right of Sikhs to wear turban in the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police in 1988, he is a RCMP officer and a perfect gentleman.
Born in 1966 in Malaysia, Baltej is a happily married man, who believes
in family values.
This
proud Sikh, a true warrior, came out victorious in 1990 -- unscathed
despite a death threat by his opponents, when he won his first ideological
battle that started way back in 1988. There were a stream of protests
that included over 195,000 Canadians signing petitions against Mounties
wearing turbans. Baltej's opponents even filed a petition defending
their case in the Supreme Court of Canada.
The
Sikh in shining armor continues to inspire thousands of Sikh youth aspiring
to join the RCMP. Dhillon is presently an officer in a RCMP detachment
in Surrey, B.C. He works as an investigator with the task force probing
the 1985 bombing of the Air India aeroplane, in which over 300 people
aboard died.
Monday, October 13, 2003