Sikh community leader warns of hate crime surge after Kirpan murder conviction
A UK Sikh Federation leader says the community has been "demonised" following Vickrum Digwa's conviction for murdering Southampton student Henry Nowak.
Sikh community 'under the magnifying glass' after stabbing murder verdict
The UK Sikh community has faced a surge in hate crime since the conviction of Vickrum Digwa for the murder of Southampton University student Henry Nowak, according to BBC News. Digwa was found guilty earlier this week of stabbing Nowak with a ceremonial Sikh blade.
Dabinderjit Singh, a leading figure at the UK Sikh Federation, told the BBC the community had been "demonised" in the wake of the trial. "There is a huge increase in hate crime," Singh said, adding that the political climate had left Sikhs asking "why are we being targeted".
"This is not about the Sikh community and its religion — this is about one individual," Singh said. "Trying to get that across in the current political environment has proved really difficult."
Following Thursday's guilty verdict, prominent commentators and politicians moved quickly to challenge existing laws permitting practising Sikhs to carry a Kirpan — a small, curved ceremonial blade considered sacred in the faith. Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick announced his party would seek to ban the blade from being carried in public. Elon Musk, described by Singh as among those who "got on the bandwagon", has repeatedly criticised the police response to Nowak's stabbing on his social platform X.
Under Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, a practising Sikh may carry a Kirpan close to the body for religious reasons. Drawing the blade in an act of aggression is illegal, and using it violently renders it an offensive weapon under law. The same legislation covers other items of national dress, including the sgian dubh worn as part of Scottish Highland dress.
The UK Sikh Federation said in a statement that the blade used by Digwa "was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs" and characterised it as an item that "can only be called an offensive weapon". The federation also wrote to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood calling for anti-Sikh hate crimes to be recorded in a comparable way to those targeting Jewish and Muslim communities.
Singh said the community had found the case "quite difficult", as it had "called into question our faith and what we believe". He stressed there was nonetheless a responsibility for Sikhs who carry the Kirpan to understand the law clearly. "If you use your Kirpan offensively, it ceases to be a Kirpan — it becomes an offensive weapon. It's as simple as that," he said.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary separately apologised to Nowak's family for its response on the night of the attack, after officers initially handcuffed and arrested the fatally injured student.
Digwa is due to be sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Monday.
Source: BBC News