SMART Coordinating with Student, Law Enforcement Boston, MA – Following the seven-hour detention of a Sikh American student by the Secret Service before the Democratic National Convention this week, the Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART) is working with the student and law enforcement officials to address the incident. Sundeep Singh Sahni, a 21-year-old senior at Boston College, believes he was singled out by Secret Service agents staying on the campus last Saturday because of his turban and beard. “I was humiliated because I knew I was being targeted because of my appearance,” said Sahni. “But now it’s wonderful that my college officials and SMART are standing by me to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone again.” The incident occurred shortly after 6 pm when someone on the campus reported Sahni and his two friends as suspicious persons to the Boston College police. The students showed their identification and explained their status as current and former international students to the campus police. Before they could continue with their evening, however, Secret Service agents staying on campus for the DNC arrived on the scene. Sahni and his property was then searched for weapons and bombs and he was questioned until 1:30 am by Secret Service agents. Sahni said one of the agents told him, “I don’t want you pulling an Uzi from your turban.” “We understand that law enforcement is on a heightened state of alert during high-profile events such as the DNC,” said SMART National Director Preetmohan Singh. “But to single out a student on his college campus, detain him for several hours, and make offensive comments about his faith is extremely disconcerting. We believe Sundeep and his friends deserve an apology and we are seeking assurances that this treatment is not repeated.” SMART has notified the Secret Service offices in Washington, DC and the US Department of Justice. Boston College officials are seeking a meeting with Secret Service officials to obtain an apology. News of this incident came on the heels of an announcement by the New York Police Department yesterday allowing Sikh Americans to serve as traffic enforcement agents with their religiously-mandated beards and turbans. Furthermore, SMART has conducted awareness training for over 5,000 local, state, and federal officers about the Sikh American community through its Law Enforcement Partnership Program.
