Sikh man breaks religious protocol to remove turban and save life of five-year-old boy

A Sikh man has been hailed as a hero for breaking religious protocol to remove his turban to help save the life of a five-year-old boy.

Harman Singh, 22, rushed to the aid of the young child who had been hit by a car on his way to school in South Auckland, New Zealand.

Mr Singh quickly removed his turban to help stem the bleeding from the boy's head.

"I wasn't thinking about the turban, I was thinking about the accident and I just thought, 'He needs something on his head because he's bleeding.' That's my job - to help," Mr Singh told the New Zealand Herald.

"I think anyone else would have done the same as me."

Members of the Sikh community have praised Mr Singh for his actions.

Gagan Dhillon, who witnessed the incident as he walked to work, is quoted as saying: "There was enough help as there was, but being a Sikh myself, I know what type of respect the turban has. People just don't take it off - people die over it."

"I saw him [Mr Singh] with no head covering and thought, 'That's strange'. But then I saw one hand was underneath the boy's head supporting it and his siropao [turban] was stopping the bleeding.

"He didn't care that his head was uncovered in public - he just wanted to help this little boy."

The five-year-old, who was reportedly walking with his older sister at the time, was said to be in a stable condition in hospital after suffering serious head injuries.