Police misconduct inquiry begins over Sikh man's turban removal in custody

The case is being investigated by the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) in a hearing at Birmingham's Lloyd House which is expected to last four days.

It surrounds the treatment of Randeep Singh-Kular who was taken into custody at Perry Barr on October 25, 2021, when stopped for driving a vehicle with a registration plate not conforming to regulations.

Mr Singh-Kular alleges the officer – who cannot be named – 'manhandled him' into the custody suite when he refused to take off his head dress or keski as part of a search, and that when it was forcibly taken off by the officer and three others it was stamped on.

The tribunal was shown 20 minutes of CCTV footage featuring a timeline of when Mr Singh-Kular was brought into the custody suite, to what happened when he objected to taking off the head dress and the events afterwards. It showed four officers surrounding him taking it off before it fell to the ground as he struggled,

Mr Singh-Kular, who lives in Bromsgrove but is a carer for his mother in Walsall, told the inquiry that asking a Sikh to take off his turban is 'like taking off his crown and stripping him naked'.

He said: "There should have been a trained officer to deal with this given the make-up of the community West Midlands Police serves. My general treatment was one of a total lack of respect. If it had been a Sikh officer who asked me to take the turban off I might have complied but there was a complete lack of understanding of the situation and what it means to someone like me.

"I have never had my turban taken off in the dealings I have had with the police, it has never been an issue before. By patting around the head you can tell whether something has been concealed under it. I have never cut my hair and the only people who have seen it is my mother and my partner."

Harpreet Sandhu KC, representing the officer alleged Mr Kular wasn't telling the full truth when he said the turban was stamped on.

He said: "We have all seen the CCTV footage and it is clear the turban was removed but nowhere does it show that it was stamped on – it fell to the floor and was then picked up straight away.

"There wasn't a crime committed by the officers who provided you with a comb and would have given you a mirror to deal with taking the head gear off, you only needed to ask

"You already face a trial for obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty and I would suggest it is you as much as you say the officer who initially came to see you and the ones who dealt with you in the custody suite who showed aggression and lost their temper."

He also referred to a case involving Mr Singh-Kular from May 2017 when he took off his head gear after being given a comb, hairpin and mirror to enable himself to do so.

"This contradicts your statement that you have never had to take of the keski before as on that occasion you complied with the request in a similar situation when you had been taken into custody."

Mr Singh-Kular said it was the principle that was at stake and on that occasion he had been treated with more respect, restraint and understanding.

The hearing continues.