Three Sikh religious musicians who were removed from a US Airways flight leaving Sacramento International Airport have reached a settlement with the airline.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and United Sikhs, who had accused the airline of racial profiling in the November 2008 incident, announced the agreement Monday.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but Jaspreet Singh, representing United Sikhs, said his clients have received an apology from the CEO of US Airways. Airline officials declined to comment Monday.
The three Indian musicians – Davinder Singh, Gulbag Singh and Iqbal Singh – perform worldwide at Sikh temples, said Jaspreet Singh. "They do Sikh religious hymns in the classical Raag style of singing that's over 1,000 years old," he said. "They've been doing it over 30 years."
Like many Sikh men, the musicians wear turbans and long beards. Before the November incident, they had performed hymns at a Sikh temple in West Sacramento. They had boarded a flight bound from Sacramento to Salt Lake City when they were removed, Jaspreet Singh said.
After a passenger complained of being afraid of the men, they were told to deplane and rebooked on a Delta flight leaving a day later, Singh said.
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