A Sikh student in the US state of Pennsylvania was allegedly removed from a high school-level soccer game by a referee for wearing a turban, according to media reports.
Officials from the Marple-Newtown School District said the incident occurred on Tuesday when the high school student was playing against the Conestoga High team, according to WPVI-TV.
Witnesses said the referee would not allow the player onto the field because he was wearing the turban in compliance with his Sikh faith.
According to the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), districts can apply for exemptions from such rules by requesting permission for certain players to wear religious items, said WPVI-TV, an affiliate of the ABC news.
Marple Newtown School District officials were informed about the incident and have opened a probe to find out if the player's religious rights were violated by the decision, it said.
In a statement, school district attorney Mark Sereni wrote:
"Our district is investigating this ruling and has advocated and will continue to advocate for the rights of our student athletes to appropriately wear religious headgear," Sereni said.
The district officials added that there is no reason to believe the motive was to restrict the student's religious freedom, the report said.
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