Three eminent Sikh religious musicians were thrown out of a US Airways flight after the pilot refused to fly with them on board in California, a leading US-based Sikh group alleged on Wednesday. The three, Gulbag Singh, Davinder Singh & Iqbal Singh, had boarded the plane in Sacramento on November 15 after being cleared by the security.

In a complaint letter to the Airways, “United Sikhs” protested the incident & warned it of legal action unless prompt amends are made. The group pointed to the severity of racial profiling & discriminatory treatment & sought an apology & compensation for the three & offered training for US Airways staff.

The three, who had boarded the plane for Salt Lake City, Utah, were sitting together in the rear of the aircraft, in their assigned seats. After having been on the plane for approximately 10 minutes, they were approached by one of the ticket-reception desk workers & asked to exit the plane. While none of the three could adequately comprehend or speak English, the group complied & exited the aircraft, the United Sikhs said.

When it became apparent that the group was unable to converse with US Airways representatives, a Punjabi interpreter was called to assist. The interpreter informed Iqbal Singh, on behalf of the US Airways representatives, that the pilot was refusing to fly if they were onboard the aircraft.