Family furious after Sikh man's beard shaved

Brampton hospital is investigating after sacred locks shorn on unconscious patient

- OMAR MOSLEH

The family of an elderly Sikh man is outraged after staff at the Brampton Civic Hospital shaved his beard without their permission while he was unconscious.

Beards are considered sacred in the Sikh faith and keeping them untrimmed is a religious requirement. Prior to the incident, Jasjit Dhaliwal said his father-in-law, 85-year-old Joginder Singh Kaler, had never shaved his beard in his life. "What bothers me the most is they called us, they asked a family member whether they could do this and they were told not to," Dhaliwal said. "Next thing we know he's clean shaved."

Dhaliwal said Kaler arrived at Brampton Civic Hospital on Aug. 25 after being transferred from St. Michael's Hospital, where he was being treated for injuries he sustained from a bad fall. The Brampton hospital called a day or two later and Dhaliwal said the family clearly instructed the hospital they were not allowed to shave his beard.