A post office in the US city Houston will be named after Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, the first Sikh officer. House of Representatives had passed the bipartisan legislation in September to rename the post office at 315 Addicks Howell Road in Houston as “Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office Building.” The bill is now headed to the White House for it to sign into law by outgoing President Donald Trump.

The post office named after Dhaliwal in Houston is only the second one named after an Indian-American. The first one was named after the first Indian-American Congressman Dalip Singh Saund in Southern California in 2006.

On September 27, 2019, Dhaliwal, 42, was shot dead by a suspect during a traffic stop in the county's Cypress area.

The US Postal Office on Addicks Howell Road in Houston will now serve as a lasting tribute to Deputy Dhaliwal’s trailblazing legacy for Sikh Americans.

The Senate also passed the bills to rename another US Postal Office located in Castroville, Texas as the “Lance Corporal Rhonald Dain Rairdan Post Office”.

"While we tragically lost both outstanding Americans far too soon, their memory will live on as we honour their many contributions to their country and community. I look forward to seeing President Trump swiftly sign these measures into law,” Senator Red Cruz said.

Dhaliwal was born in India later moved to the US along with his parents to Houston where he grew deep roots. In 2015, Dhaliwal of the Harris County Sheriff’s office, became the first Sikh American in Texas to receive a policy accommodation to serve while wearing his articles of faith, including his turban and beard.

He was the first Sikh police officer to serve in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and was a role model and trailblazer for Sikh Americans and religious minorities who sought to serve in law enforcement. On September 27, 2019, Deputy Dhaliwal was killed in the line of duty in service of his community.

Image extracted from Twitter.