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New York: A Sikh businessman has filed a lawsuit against an American airline alleging racial profiling, intimidation and harassment during a domestic flight last November.
The suit, believed to be the first legal action resorted to by a Sikh for racial profiling since September 11, 2001, was filed yesterday by Hansdip S. Bindra at the federal district court in Newark.
The move was aimed at Delta Airlines, its affiliate Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA) and the flight crew concerned. The legal action seeks an unspecified amount in damages. Bindra, a software consultant, had boarded in November 2002 an ACA flight in Newark, bound for Dayton, Ohio.
The lawsuit said flight attendant Janet Thomas approached several passengers prior to the flights departure, and solicited their help to physically subdue Bindra as she felt he would cause trouble. According to the lawsuit, Bindra attempted to explain to the attendant that he was a Sikh, but was told to shut up, stay seated, and not cause any problems.
It alleged that the attendant threatened to disembark the Indian-born Bindra. She allegedly mistook him for a person of West Asian descent and a follower of Osama bin Laden.
The attendant no longer works for the airline and a company spokesman declined to go into details of whether this was because of a disciplinary action.
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