British Sikh MPs defend kirpan as UK Parliament debates murder

Britain’s Sikh lawmakers on Tuesday defended the ceremonial knife, the kirpan, during a Parliament debate following the conviction of a British Sikh man who had presented his murder weapon as a religious item in court. 

Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday after being found guilty of the murder of 18-year-old Henry Nowak, who was caught on police body-worn camera footage being handcuffed in his final moments over racism allegations.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he “felt sick” watching the “harrowing” footage but appealed against it being “whipped up” to create divisions within British society.

“There are clearly serious questions that need to be addressed, not least how accusations of racism informed the decision-making in this case,” Starmer said in a statement from 10 Downing Street.

As the incident from December last year in Southampton caused an uproar, UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood made a statement in the House of Commons to reiterate that the wider Sikh community must not be condemned for an individual’s “heinous crime”.

“There have been calls to limit the right of Sikhs to carry their ceremonial knife, the kirpan, one of the five holy items in their faith,” said Mahmood, referencing some far-right groups calling for a ban. The minister referenced the UK’s Offensive Weapons Act of 2019, which “clarified and strengthened existing legal protections in relation to long kirpans”.

“This included extending defences, so that kirpans can be lawfully possessed for religious reasons and used in religious and ceremonial contexts. But let me be clear, carrying a knife for the purpose of religious observance is one thing, using it as so tragically occurred in this case is quite another. It is a vile act, a crime of the utmost severity, and it will be met with the severest punishment,” she said. 

The Home Secretary went on to assert that the murder must not be allowed to turn communities against one another. “We do not believe in collective punishment in this country. Instead, we stand together against an act of pure evil. We condemn those who committed this heinous crime, not all those who share their faith or their ethnicity,” she said. 

British Sikh members of Parliament were among those who made interventions during the heated Commons debate, with Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi condemning Reform UK and Restore Britain parties for “scapegoating and throwing under the bus an entire community based on the actions of one violent murderer”. 

“What’s very galling is that the likes of Reform, Restore and the far-right decided to politicise people’s pain, attacking the Sikh community for wearing the kirpan and wanting it banned, even though the kirpan was not used in this violent attack,” said Dhesi. 

He referenced the history of thousands of Sikh soldiers bravely fighting alongside British soldiers in both World Wars while “wearing their turban and their kirpan”, as he called on Mahmood to reassure the community of its right to “freely and peacefully practise their faith”. 

Fellow Labour MP Gurinder Singh Josan expressed his “shock and horror” over the senseless murder of Nowak and sought a meeting with Mahmood to discuss the fallout.

“There is simply no religious justification for these actions, a sentiment that is shared universally across the Sikh community. This case has raised many aspects of concern to my constituents, Sikh and non-Sikh, including issues of safety, knife crime and issues of freedom to practice one’s faith,” he said. 

The British Muslim Cabinet minister expressed her willingness for further talks with Sikh community representatives to help the British government strike the “right balance between the religious freedoms that he (Josan) and I both enjoy as members of faith minorities in our country, and also the need to make sure that public protection is never compromised”.

She also confirmed to Parliament that the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the actions of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers at the scene of the crime would be conducted in a transparent manner. 

The parliamentary debate also raised concerns over “two-tier policing”, where one community is prioritised over another. Mahmood stressed the government’s firm stance against any preferential treatment, with all security forces of the country under a “sacred duty to police without fear or favour”. 

Meanwhile, the Council of Southampton Gurdwaras have released a statement of solidarity and “ardas (prayers)” as a community for the victim’s family. 

“Digwa’s actions were in direct contradiction to Sikh teachings and values that have guided Sikh communities for more than five centuries, including in Britain for over 150 years,” they stated. 

During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Judge William Mousley noted that it is the “fundamental principle of Sikhism that any kirpan is worn as a symbol of religious faith and is never to be carried for an offensive purpose”. 

“You (Digwa) abused the privilege extended to Sikhs to have a knife in a public place for religious reasons, dishonoured your religion and have now put others at risk of repercussions,” he said. 

His mother, 53-year-old Kiran Kaur, remains in prison for her role in removing the murder weapon from the scene of the crime in Portswood, south-east England, in the early hours of December 4 last year and will be sentenced on July 17.