A Sikh man and former inspector with the Allegheny County Health Department is suing the agency in federal court alleging discrimination because of his beard, which he claims he was once forced to shave while at work.
Navin Kohli, who served as an environmental health specialist, on Tuesday filed the lawsuit in Pittsburgh, alleging claims for discrimination based on national origin and religion.
It also asserts Kohli was subjected to disparate treatment and a hostile work environment, and that the health department refused to provide reasonable accommodations for his religious beliefs.
Kohli, 44, of Pittsburgh is of Indian descent and a devout practicing Sikh, the lawsuit said. As part of his religious beliefs, he maintains an uncut beard and does not consume meat.
The county did not have any immediate comment on Wednesday.
Kohli began working for the department in May 2024 performing health and safety inspections. He was a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union.
He claimed the health department knew when he was hired that he wore a head covering associated with Sikh religious customs and had a beard. The lawsuit said he openly discussed his religious practices with colleagues.
Kohli’s supervisor, Costis Angel, however, repeatedly discriminated against him, including commenting on his appearance and telling him that he should eat meat, according to the complaint
In August 2024, Angel gave Kohli a performance evaluation that said he “excelled.” But, the lawsuit said, Angel gave Kohli a “‘1’ rating in the ‘grooming’ section of the evaluation solely because of plaintiff’s beard.”
Angel demanded that Kohli shave it, the lawsuit said. When Kohli reminded him he could not, the complaint continued, “Angel became agitated and responded: ‘I don’t care. (You) look poor or homeless like the people from India.’”
Name-calling alleged
Following that evaluation, the lawsuit said, Angel’s discrimination worsened.
Over the next year, the lawsuit claimed, when representatives from Indian restaurants called the department, Angel required Kohli to take the calls because “the callers were plaintiff’s ‘countrymen,’ and plaintiff ‘could understand them,’ even though the callers spoke fluent English.”
Additionally, Angel frequently referred to Kohli as “ugly” and “dirty” because of his beard, the complaint said.
“Angel would repeatedly greet Plaintiff by saying ‘Namaste’ and would then state, ‘That’s how you say hi in your language, isn’t it?’ in a mocking and laughing tone,” the complaint said.
Angel repeatedly threatened Kohli’s employment status over his beard and on one occasion, forced him to shave at work under threat of sending Kohli home without pay.
“Plaintiff complied out of fear of losing his wages, which he needed to support himself and his family,” the complaint said.
Troubles continued
The lawsuit asserts that Angel didn’t respect other religious practices followed by Kohli, including the prohibition on tobacco use and consuming meat.
Angel offered Kohli cigarettes multiple times, the complaint said, and once, while on the way to an inspection, said, “‘I am going to buy two Mancini pepperoni rolls, one for each of us. You are going to try it.’”
When Kohli said he could not eat it, Angel responded: “‘You Hindu people don’t know what you’re missing out on.’”
Then on Aug. 12, Kohli entered Angel’s office to tell him he was leaving to inspect Alla Famiglia, an Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood.
“Angel responded: ‘The hell you are. You’re not going anywhere looking like that. You look like a dirty homeless person.’ Angel continued: ‘You need to shave and change into something cleaner before going anywhere.’”
Kohli responded that his uniform was freshly laundered, and Angel continued with his demands, the lawsuit said.
Kohli said he could no longer endure the discriminatory harassment and went to the environmental health administrator and said he was going to leave for the day and take paid time off.
The administrator told Kohli she would “‘look into and address’” Angel’s behavior.
But two days later, the complaint said, Kohli got a notice of a disciplinary hearing accusing him of misconduct for missing work and for “unprofessional attire.”
“Rather than addressing Angel’s year-long pattern of discriminatory harassment based on plaintiff’s national origin and religion, defendant initiated disciplinary proceedings against plaintiff for reporting the discrimination,” the lawsuit said.
Kohli quit on Aug. 21 and sent a letter to the human resources manager asserting that he had been constructively discharged.
Kohli said he has been forced to obtain professional mental health treatment over the discrimination and he has experienced severe emotional distress.
He is seeking punitive damages.
As of the county’s December roster, Angel, a 17-year veteran of the department, was still working as an environmental health supervisor, earning more than $77,000 a year.