Constable Sukhvinder “Suki” Singh Sunger did something unprecedented on the historic grounds of Edinburgh Castle. Stepping onto the esplanade as the drum major for the Vancouver Police Pipe Band, he became the very first turbaned Sikh to command a performance at the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
If you watched the August 2026 event, the visual contrast was striking. Instead of the conventional Scottish feather bonnet, Sunger wore a ceremonial dastaar meticulously matched to the band’s traditional Royal Stewart tartan kilt. It wasn’t just a costume choice. It was a bold statement of dual heritage playing out on a massive international stage.
Who Is Suki Sunger
Sunger isn't a professional musician by trade. He is a veteran law enforcement officer with over twenty years on the job. Based in British Columbia, he started his career as a reserve constable with the Victoria Police Department before transitioning to the Vancouver Police Department in 2002. Most of his daily work focuses on traffic enforcement, and his service record includes a deployment as a United Nations peacekeeper in South Sudan.
Music entered his routine later in life. Around 2018, he joined the Vancouver Police Pipe Band, breaking ground then as its first Sikh member and first person of colour. He initially played the tenor drum before integrating the Punjabi dhol into various performances, blending Scottish melodies with Punjabi rhythms. By December 2025, his peers elected him drum major for a three-year term, setting the stage for his landmark appearance in Scotland.
When Traditions Collide on the World Stage
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo brings together elite military bands and cultural performers from across the globe. For the 2026 production themed “A Call to Gather,” the Vancouver Police Pipe Band marked its fourth appearance at the festival. Sunger’s appointment as drum major meant he walked right at the front, setting the cadence for the entire ensemble.
The pairing of a turban with a Highland kilt forces a reexamination of what heritage looks like in public institutions. Ceremonial dress codes in military and police bands are notoriously rigid. Institutions often resist change under the banner of preserving tradition. Sunger’s presence proves that centuries-old Scottish customs and deeply held Sikh articles of faith can occupy the same space without diluting either.
Beyond the Headline
Milestones like this often risk getting reduced to a feel-good internet moment, but they carry operational weight. Representation inside police forces shapes how diverse communities interact with public safety officials. When officers see their identities welcomed in international ceremonies, it shifts internal culture.
Sunger has a history of building bridges through performance. Back in 2019, he traveled with the pipe band on a tour across Punjab, India, marking the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. During those concerts—including stops at the Golden Temple in Amritsar—he switched fluidly between the Scottish tenor drum and the dhol, performing an arrangement of "Sare Jahan Se Accha."
True cultural integration isn't about fitting into a mold. It's about reshaping the mold so different traditions fit side by side.
Watch the Sikh Cop Makes History at Edinburgh Tattoo to see Constable Suki Sunger leading the performance in Scotland.
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