Rajbeer becomes first turbaned woman to join Canadian police

Rajbeer Kaur Brar (35), who hails from an agrarian family of Thandewala village near here, has become the first turbaned woman constable to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Saskatchewan, Canada.

An MSc (IT) graduate from Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Chandigarh, Rajbeer moved to Canada after her marriage in 2016.

From working at a Walmart store to briefly serving in the Canadian Reserve Army, her determination finally paid off last year when she was selected for the RCMP. Having completed her training, she is now posted at Milestone, Saskatchewan.

Her husband, Satvir Singh, a mechanical engineer from Machaki Mal Singh village in Faridkot, works as a truck driver in Canada.

“When the RCMP officials handed over her uniform, they told her that she was the first turbaned woman in the force. We later confirmed it by searching online. She has kept the ethos of Sikhism alive abroad,” said her proud brother Beant Singh Khalsa, who is into dairy farming.

In 1991, Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first RCMP officer to wear a turban. Baltej, now a senator in Canada, remains a role model for many turbaned police officers in the Maple country.