Sikh fans say they were denied entry to Chargers game because of turbans
A group of Broncos fans say they drove seven hours to watch Week 13's game between Denver and the San Diego Chargers, but were denied entry to the game because of their turbans.
Verinder Malhi told 10News he and three friends, who are Sikh, were turned back at the gate by a Qualcomm Stadium security guard because of their religious attire.
"Three of my buddies, they had turbans on, and it was like, you guys got to take the turbans off," Mahli said.
Eventually, they were allowed inside, but they were told not to wear turbans should they attend a game in the future.
#Broncos fans were hassled by Qualcomm stadium security last Sunday over their turbans: https://t.co/VtLlyaIc8S pic.twitter.com/v66ahbbtsv
— 10News (@10News) December 11, 2015
"It's bad, I mean, this is embarrassing for me, because we are Americans at the end of the day. And we are not supposed to be afraid of fellow Americans," Mahli said.
Mahli and his friends also faced difficulties outside the stadium. Someone reportedly called police to say the group was acting suspiciously, which led to a search by a bomb-sniffing dog.
"Everybody kind of confusing us with the turbans, because what you see on TV is mostly the terrorists they wear turbans. But our turbans is different, our faith is different our beliefs are different," he said.