Sikhs wary of British backlash | Condemned ‘moment of madness’ | race

Amandeep Singh, an educator at the charity Basics of Sikhi, is proud of his community’s deeply embedded place in British society.

“We are rightly regarded as a community that has integrated very successfully into the British value system,” he said. “We have worn kirpans for hundreds of years, ever since we were invited to settle in this country,” he said.

But in the past few days, the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak by 23-year-old Vickrum Digwa has changed something for Sikhs across Britain, Singh continued. “At least 15 people were approached on the street by a group of white people who surrounded Sikhs and asked, ‘Do you have a kirpan?’ in an attempt to heighten racial tensions.”

After a recent incident in which elderly Sikhs were stripped of their turbans in racist attacks, many people feared the same thing could happen again, he said.

Like Singh, other Sikh and anti-apartheid leaders explicitly condemned the killings but warned that inflammatory political rhetoric following the convictions was sparking a backlash in the wider community.

Digwa was sentenced Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years. When police arrived on the scene, he falsely claimed that Novak had racially abused him and removed his turban, and officers arrested and handcuffed the critically injured teenager before realizing the extent of his injuries.

In a joint statement, Sikh community groups condemned one individual’s “moment of madness” while also saying the wider Sikh community had faced significant abuse and hatred.

“I feel really sorry for Henry’s family,” said Kuldeep Singh Deol, IT consultant and former chairman of Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick. “The wider Sikh community is really upset as the situation unfolds. The police bodycam footage came out last night and I think that has actually made the situation more painful for everyone to accept.

Henry Nowak. Photo: Hampshire Police/PA

“This person was not a representative of the Sikh community. He was one person.”

As well as widespread “disgust” and “betrayal” among the Sikh community over Nowak’s killing, there was also fear of what the political reaction might bring.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for “pure cold anger” over the incident, sparking widespread criticism.

Current law allows Sikhs to carry a kirpan, a small curved blade worn as an article of faith, for religious purposes. But Reform UK has vowed to ban them if they enter government.

Prosecutors told the jury at Southampton Crown Court that Digwa was fulfilling his religious duty by wearing a small kirpan around his neck under his clothes, but he also chose to carry a much larger knife.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the judge, who described the two blades as kirpans and the weapon held by Digwa as a ‘large Sikh dagger’, accepted that assessment.

But the Sikh Federation said the blade used by Digwa was not a kirpan, and the Sikh Press Association said plans were afoot to ensure that all initiated Sikhs in the UK were addressed directly about kirpan rules and responsibilities.

“Kirpan basically means ‘Kirpa’ which means grace and ‘Aan’ which means protection,” Deol said. “It should never be used in anger. It should never be used to attack anyone. It should be there to protect the needy and protect those who are being attacked.”

Sikhs were outraged and saddened that Digwa’s actions cast a shadow over the wider community. “This person has brought the Sikh community into disrepute and we are really angry about that.

“I talk about 150 to 200 years of history with the UK, and that’s just one example. Some of the stuff that comes from politicians and right-wing perspectives is really painful to read.”

There are already long-standing concerns among Sikh communities across the country. According to the British Sikhs Report 2025, published in January, 49% of Sikhs surveyed were concerned about rising anti-Sikh sentiment, and 50% were concerned that misinformation on social media could lead to hostility towards Sikhs.

Deol and Singh both warned that a ban on kirpans would unfairly disadvantage the wider community and reiterated that the weapons used were not kirpans.

“Nothing can take away the senseless loss and violence that Henry and his family suffered,” Singh said.

Jayanti Shah, an anti-racism campaigner and community organizer in Southampton, said the wider political climate had raised concerns that such incidents would lead to collective condemnation from minority communities.

“Just because one bad person has a certain religion or a certain belief doesn’t mean that all religions and beliefs should be condemned,” he said. “Not all communities. Not all communities are homogeneous.”

He warned that ethnic minority communities were already changing their behavior and becoming more cautious in public following race riots in the summer of 2024.

Singh said his grandfather was part of a wave of Sikhs who arrived in Britain in the 1920s to serve in the army. He was one of several Sikh leaders who pointed out a quote from Winston Churchill praising Sikh contributions to the war effort.

Singh said the Sikh community had a clear message to the rest of the country: “We stand with you in condemning the horrific and grotesque violence that that young boy had to endure. We stand in complete solidarity with the entire British public, but please understand that such actions do not reflect the Sikh faith in any way.

“And it’s not just words. Our history confirms it. Our rich and majestic history confirms it.”

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