A Sikh pilot claims he was asked to remove his turban for manual inspection at airport security in a move that critics are calling “racial discrimination”.
Captain Simranjeet Singh Gujral, who works for India’s national carrier Air India, was passing through Madrid airport security when he was asked to remove his turban, despite clearing the metal detector with no problems.
He was due to operate a flight to Delhi, reports India Today.
Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the leader of Sikh political party Shiromani Akali Dal, has written to India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar about the incident.
In a letter shared on Twitter, Mr Singh Sirsa said that Captain Singh Gujral was “subjected to racial discrimination because of his turban”.
1/50 27 November 2019
The moment a swan flew over a flock of 60,000 starlings as dusk fell on Whixall Moss Nature Reserve in Shropshire
Andrew Fusek Peters / SWNS
2/50 26 November 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon plays with local children during a visit to the Jelly Tots & Cookies Play Cafe in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire
PA
3/50 25 November 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with sheep as he visits the Royal Welsh Showground, in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, whilst on the General Election campaign trail
PA
4/50 24 November 2019
Cush Jumbo attends the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards at London Coliseum
Getty Images
5/50 23 November 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets a supporter on a train on his return from a visit to Sheffield
PA
6/50 22 November 2019
Gallery assistants adjust ‘The Ancient Town of Uglich’ by Konstantin Yuon, 1913, estimated at £600,000 to £800,000, during a press preview of the sale of works by some of the most pre-eminent creators of Russian art at Sotheby’s in London
PA
7/50 21 November 2019
A mother seal appears to hug her pup as grey seals return to Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late autumn and winter to give birth
PA
8/50 20 November 2019
After Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking the eveninfg before newly appointed Tottenham head coach, Jose Mourinho, takes his first training session in charge
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty
9/50 19 November 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy at Wythenshawe, while on the campaign trail ahead of the General Election
PA
10/50 18 November 2019
Mist over Buttermere lake in the Lake District
PA
11/50 17 November 2019
Stefanos Tsitsipas lifts the winners trophy after beating Dominic Thiem at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London
EPA
12/50 16 November 2019
Duke of York, speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis
BBC/PA
13/50 15 November 2019
Brazilian indigenous leader, Kreta Kaingang from the Kaingang People, holds a petition letter with over 200,000 signatures asking the UK government to suspend trade talks with Brazil until the Amazon and its people are protected, as he poses outside 10 Downing Street
AFP via Getty
14/50 14 November 2019
Spanning all four spaces and the corridor of the White Cube Bermondsey gallery Anselm Kiefer’s new exhibition encompasses large-scale painting and installation
Rex Features
15/50 13 November 2019
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wears a pair of mittens that say ‘Pick Pam’, referring to Labour MP Pam Duncan-Glancy (not pictured) as he visits the Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre in Glasgow
Getty
16/50 12 November 2019
Head glass conservator Sam Kelly inspects the Angeli Laudantes and Angeli Ministrantes stained glass windows at Salisbury Cathedral as restoration work to clean, conserve and restore the windows, installed in 1879, gets underway
PA
17/50 11 November 2019
Flooding in the village of Fishlake near Doncaster after a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours
PA
18/50 10 November 2019
World War II Supermarine Spitfire fighter performs a flyover over White Cliffs of Dover during Remembrance Sunday celebrations
Reuters
19/50 9 November 2019
Snow falling in Glyn Ceiriog near Llangollen in Denbighshire
Steffan Williams/PA
20/50 8 November 2019
Scottish National Party candidates, including SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford (centre left) and Nicola Sturgeon (centre), with a Brexit message at the party’s General Election campaign launch in Edinburgh
PA
21/50 7 November 2019
Delivery lorry stuck in flood water at Coston Ford, Leicestershire after heavy rainfall in the area
PA
22/50 6 November 2019
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement to announce the general election at Downing Street in London, Britain
Reuters
23/50 5 November 2019
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson speaking at the launch of their general election campaign at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London
PA
24/50 4 November 2019
Pelicans in St James’s Park in central London
AFP/Getty
25/50 3 November 2019
Dancers perform a mass Ghoomar dance during Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London
Reuters
26/50 2 November 2019
Campaigners listen as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon addresses a rally calling for Scottish independence in Glasgow
AFP via Getty
27/50 1 November 2019
Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, south-east London. A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a person died and 15 others were injured
PA
28/50 31 October 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gestures as launches the party’s election campaign in south London. Britain will go to the polls on December 12
AFP via Getty
29/50 30 October 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon joins Alyn Smith, the SNP’s candidate for Stirling, at the Made in Stirling Store and Creative Hub, during the general election campaign trail
PA
30/50 29 October 2019
A 1264 locomotive travels through an autumn scene along the North York Moors National Park
PA
31/50 28 October 2019
Paul Hayes of Lower Lydbrook ferries children to dry land after the River Wye burst its banks flooding the Gloucestershire village
PA
32/50 27 October 2019
Cosplayers during the third day of London’s Comic Con
PA
33/50 26 October 2019
England fans celebrate after their side beat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semi-final match in Japan. Eddie Jones’s side won 19-7
PA
34/50 25 October 2019
Meerkats at Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirling, investigate a carved pumpkin as the park celebrates national pumpkin day on Saturday October 26.
PA
35/50 24 October 2019
A giant inflatable monster, created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, is unveiled in Manchester ahead of the city’s annual halloween celebrations
PA
36/50 23 October 2019
Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.
The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.
Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.
Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder
PA
37/50 22 October 2019
Ships out at sea before the sun rises off the coast of Whitley Bay, Northumberland
PA
38/50 21 October 2019
Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student “parents” for mentoring them
PA
39/50 20 October 2019
Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatland’s side had to battle after France’s fast start but capitalised on their rivals’ ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19
Reuters
40/50 19 October 2019
People gather in London to join the Final Say march for a people’s vote
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
41/50 18 October 2019
Protesters on Whitehall in London during an Extinction Rebellion climate change protest
PA
42/50 17 October 2019
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during a news conference after agreeing on a Brexit deal, in Brussels
Reuters
43/50 16 October 2019
A man walks his dog through the fallen leaves in Clarkes Gardens, Allerton in Liverpool
PA
44/50 15 October 2019
Police officers carry away an activist as Extinction Rebellion protesters block a road with a caravan in central London
Reuters
45/50 14 October 2019
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Charles on the Sovereign’s throne ahead of delivering the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament
AFP
46/50 13 October 2019
Great Britain’s Joe Fraser competes on Parallel Bars during the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He claimed GB’s second gold with his victory. The 20-year-old from Birmingham nailed his routine to score 15.0 then watched as a series of rivals failed to live up to his total
Getty
47/50 12 October 2019
St Helens players celebrate with the trophy after they won the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. They beat Salford Red Devils 23-6
PA
48/50 11 October 2019
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the “bittersweet” decision to bring her home
AFP/Getty
49/50 10 October 2019
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Thornton Manor. Their meeting focused on further Brexit proposals
EPA/Noel Mullen
50/50 9 October 2019
Wales survived an almighty scare against Fiji to secure quarter-final spot at the rugby world cup. Warren Gatland’s side recovered from a 10-0 deficit thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Adams
AFP/Getty
1/50 27 November 2019
The moment a swan flew over a flock of 60,000 starlings as dusk fell on Whixall Moss Nature Reserve in Shropshire
Andrew Fusek Peters / SWNS
2/50 26 November 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon plays with local children during a visit to the Jelly Tots & Cookies Play Cafe in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire
PA
3/50 25 November 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses with sheep as he visits the Royal Welsh Showground, in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells, whilst on the General Election campaign trail
PA
4/50 24 November 2019
Cush Jumbo attends the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards at London Coliseum
Getty Images
5/50 23 November 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets a supporter on a train on his return from a visit to Sheffield
PA
6/50 22 November 2019
Gallery assistants adjust ‘The Ancient Town of Uglich’ by Konstantin Yuon, 1913, estimated at £600,000 to £800,000, during a press preview of the sale of works by some of the most pre-eminent creators of Russian art at Sotheby’s in London
PA
7/50 21 November 2019
A mother seal appears to hug her pup as grey seals return to Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late autumn and winter to give birth
PA
8/50 20 November 2019
After Mauricio Pochettino’s sacking the eveninfg before newly appointed Tottenham head coach, Jose Mourinho, takes his first training session in charge
Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty
9/50 19 November 2019
Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Jimmy Egan’s Boxing Academy at Wythenshawe, while on the campaign trail ahead of the General Election
PA
10/50 18 November 2019
Mist over Buttermere lake in the Lake District
PA
11/50 17 November 2019
Stefanos Tsitsipas lifts the winners trophy after beating Dominic Thiem at the ATP World Tour Finals tennis tournament in London
EPA
12/50 16 November 2019
Duke of York, speaking for the first time about his links to Jeffrey Epstein in an interview with BBC Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis
BBC/PA
13/50 15 November 2019
Brazilian indigenous leader, Kreta Kaingang from the Kaingang People, holds a petition letter with over 200,000 signatures asking the UK government to suspend trade talks with Brazil until the Amazon and its people are protected, as he poses outside 10 Downing Street
AFP via Getty
14/50 14 November 2019
Spanning all four spaces and the corridor of the White Cube Bermondsey gallery Anselm Kiefer’s new exhibition encompasses large-scale painting and installation
Rex Features
15/50 13 November 2019
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn wears a pair of mittens that say ‘Pick Pam’, referring to Labour MP Pam Duncan-Glancy (not pictured) as he visits the Heart of Scotstoun Community Centre in Glasgow
Getty
16/50 12 November 2019
Head glass conservator Sam Kelly inspects the Angeli Laudantes and Angeli Ministrantes stained glass windows at Salisbury Cathedral as restoration work to clean, conserve and restore the windows, installed in 1879, gets underway
PA
17/50 11 November 2019
Flooding in the village of Fishlake near Doncaster after a month’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours
PA
18/50 10 November 2019
World War II Supermarine Spitfire fighter performs a flyover over White Cliffs of Dover during Remembrance Sunday celebrations
Reuters
19/50 9 November 2019
Snow falling in Glyn Ceiriog near Llangollen in Denbighshire
Steffan Williams/PA
20/50 8 November 2019
Scottish National Party candidates, including SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford (centre left) and Nicola Sturgeon (centre), with a Brexit message at the party’s General Election campaign launch in Edinburgh
PA
21/50 7 November 2019
Delivery lorry stuck in flood water at Coston Ford, Leicestershire after heavy rainfall in the area
PA
22/50 6 November 2019
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson makes a statement to announce the general election at Downing Street in London, Britain
Reuters
23/50 5 November 2019
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson speaking at the launch of their general election campaign at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London
PA
24/50 4 November 2019
Pelicans in St James’s Park in central London
AFP/Getty
25/50 3 November 2019
Dancers perform a mass Ghoomar dance during Diwali celebrations in Trafalgar Square, London
Reuters
26/50 2 November 2019
Campaigners listen as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon addresses a rally calling for Scottish independence in Glasgow
AFP via Getty
27/50 1 November 2019
Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, south-east London. A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a person died and 15 others were injured
PA
28/50 31 October 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn gestures as launches the party’s election campaign in south London. Britain will go to the polls on December 12
AFP via Getty
29/50 30 October 2019
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon joins Alyn Smith, the SNP’s candidate for Stirling, at the Made in Stirling Store and Creative Hub, during the general election campaign trail
PA
30/50 29 October 2019
A 1264 locomotive travels through an autumn scene along the North York Moors National Park
PA
31/50 28 October 2019
Paul Hayes of Lower Lydbrook ferries children to dry land after the River Wye burst its banks flooding the Gloucestershire village
PA
32/50 27 October 2019
Cosplayers during the third day of London’s Comic Con
PA
33/50 26 October 2019
England fans celebrate after their side beat New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup semi-final match in Japan. Eddie Jones’s side won 19-7
PA
34/50 25 October 2019
Meerkats at Blair Drummond Safari Park, Stirling, investigate a carved pumpkin as the park celebrates national pumpkin day on Saturday October 26.
PA
35/50 24 October 2019
A giant inflatable monster, created by artists Filthy Luker and Pedro Estrellas, is unveiled in Manchester ahead of the city’s annual halloween celebrations
PA
36/50 23 October 2019
Thirty-nine bodies have been found in a lorry container in Essex, police have said.
The discovery of 38 adults and one teenager was made at an industrial estate in Thurrock.
Police said they believed the lorry had come from Bulgaria and entered the UK at Holyhead, in Wales, on Saturday.
Essex Police said it had launched a murder investigation after its officers were called to Waterglade Industrial Park, in Grays, in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
A 25-year-old-man from Northern Ireland has been arrested on suspicion of murder
PA
37/50 22 October 2019
Ships out at sea before the sun rises off the coast of Whitley Bay, Northumberland
PA
38/50 21 October 2019
Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator’s Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife. The messy display is the culmination of a weekend of festivities where first years say thank you to their more senior student “parents” for mentoring them
PA
39/50 20 October 2019
Wales players celebrate after beating France in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Japan. Warren Gatland’s side had to battle after France’s fast start but capitalised on their rivals’ ill discipline to squeeze into the semi-finals, 20-19
Reuters
40/50 19 October 2019
People gather in London to join the Final Say march for a people’s vote
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
41/50 18 October 2019
Protesters on Whitehall in London during an Extinction Rebellion climate change protest
PA
42/50 17 October 2019
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson shake hands during a news conference after agreeing on a Brexit deal, in Brussels
Reuters
43/50 16 October 2019
A man walks his dog through the fallen leaves in Clarkes Gardens, Allerton in Liverpool
PA
44/50 15 October 2019
Police officers carry away an activist as Extinction Rebellion protesters block a road with a caravan in central London
Reuters
45/50 14 October 2019
Queen Elizabeth II sits with Prince Charles on the Sovereign’s throne ahead of delivering the Queen’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament
AFP
46/50 13 October 2019
Great Britain’s Joe Fraser competes on Parallel Bars during the World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. He claimed GB’s second gold with his victory. The 20-year-old from Birmingham nailed his routine to score 15.0 then watched as a series of rivals failed to live up to his total
Getty
47/50 12 October 2019
St Helens players celebrate with the trophy after they won the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford in Manchester. They beat Salford Red Devils 23-6
PA
48/50 11 October 2019
Richard Ratcliffe, husband of British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe jailed in Tehran since 2016, holds his daughter Gabriella during a news conference in London. Their five-year-old daughter has arrived back in Britain, after making the “bittersweet” decision to bring her home
AFP/Getty
49/50 10 October 2019
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Thornton Manor. Their meeting focused on further Brexit proposals
EPA/Noel Mullen
50/50 9 October 2019
Wales survived an almighty scare against Fiji to secure quarter-final spot at the rugby world cup. Warren Gatland’s side recovered from a 10-0 deficit thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Adams
AFP/Getty
Being asked to remove his turban “is an offence in the eyes of a Sikh”, he said.
It demonstrated “a case of bias and racial attitude” towards Sikhs“, he added.
“The turban is the essence of a Sikh’s identity and it is important to create awareness at global level about how sensitive Sikhs are about their turban.”
The Independent has contacted Madrid airport for comment.
Navdeep Bains’s saga caused a minor diplomatic incident, prompting Canada to complain to US officials and officials from the Trump administration to release an apology.
Mr Bains, the minister of innovation, science and economic development, was returning to Toronto after meetings with Michigan state leaders in April 2017 and had already gone through security checks when the incident took place.