Sikh student wants to join ROTC, says Army would force him to shave, cut hair, remove turban

This undated photo provided by the American Civil Liberties Union shows Iknoor Singh, a student at Hofstra University. Singh, 19, a Sikh, says the U.S. Army is barring him from the Reserve Officer Training Corps unless he violates his religious beliefs by removing his turban, shaving and cutting his hair. (AP Photo/ACLU) (The Associated Press)

MINEOLA, N.Y. – A Sikh college student says the U.S. Army is barring him from the Reserve Officer Training Corps unless he violates his religious beliefs by removing his turban, shaving and cutting his hair.

The Army announced in January it would allow Sikh troops to seek waivers on a case-by-case basis. But one of Iknoor (IHK'-nohr) Singh's attorneys says the policy is a Catch-22. She says the 19-year-old Hofstra University sophomore would have to first shave, cut his hair and remove his turban before seeking the waiver.

The group United Sikhs and the American Civil Liberties Union have filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Singh.

An Army spokesman did not immediately comment.

Hofstra says Singh is currently being permitted to audit the ROTC classes.