Houston toll road named in memory of slain Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal

October 15, 2020

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On Oct. 6, 2020, a little more than a year after the tragic death of Harris County Sheriff’s Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, a portion of a tollway in Houston was officially renamed after him. Officer Dhaliwal was shot on Sept. 25, 2019, during a routine traffic stop, and died from his injuries.

The Harris County Toll Road Authority put up the sign ”HCSO Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Tollway” in the memory of the Indian-American police officer.

“Today, Harris County Toll Road Authority – HCTRA honored Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal by renaming a porting of Beltway 8, near 249, in his memory. Thank you to everyone who worked together to honor our friend and colleague,” was the message posted on Facebook by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office accompanied by several photographs of the site.

Harris County Sheriff Office also held a commemoration ceremony for Dhaliwal Sept. 25. “This Sunday marks 1 year since our community – and the world – began mourning his loss and honoring his memory. #neverforget,” said the office on Twitter, with a photograph showing all the officers holding up a banner saying “In Loving Memory of Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal”

Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas commemorating the one year death anniversary of Officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal. Photo: Twitter

A special ceremony was also performed at the Gurdwara Sikh National Centre on the occasion. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted, “Visiting the Gurdwara for the second and final day of prayer for fallen Deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal. He was fatally shot during a traffic stop a year ago. He was a trailblazer, hero, and role model. Gone but not forgotten. We miss our friend and brother.”

Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, a father of three, joined the force 10 years ago and was the state’s first law enforcement officer to receive permission to wear a religious turban and beard while on duty.

Last month, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher introduced a bill to rename a west Harris County post office to ”Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post Office”. The bill passed unanimously, News India Times reported.