Boston Sikh Student Interrogated for Taking Campus Photos

August 6, 2004

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/07/30/sikh_student_detained_by_secret_service/

On August 6, 2004 The Boston Globe reported, "A Boston College student leader who wears a turban and full beard in accord with his Sikh religion says he was detained and interrogated for seven hours Saturday night by Secret Service agents for doing nothing more than taking photographs of the campus. Sundeep Sahni, a senior with a double major in computer science and finance, said the Secret Service agents, who were staying on campus during the Democratic National Convention, suggested that he was a criminal, searched him and his car for weapons and bombs, and even had him sign a release form during the ordeal that gave them access to his psychiatric records... 'During the course of the DNC, law enforcement is in a heightened state of awareness in response to suspicious activity,' Secret Service spokesman Charles Bopp said. 'He [Sahni] was interviewed, and our security concerns were addressed. The case is closed. There are no charges; there is no further investigation'... Boston College officials said they are giving Sahni their full support and are attempting to arrange a meeting between the student and the Secret Service."