‘No group ought to dwell in concern’: British MP backs Southampton Sikhs amid rising hostility after Vickrum Digwa’s conviction | World Information
Unbiased MP Adnan Hussain has backed Southampton’s Sikh group after reviews of rising concern and intimidation following the homicide of 18-year-old pupil Henry Nowak, saying no group needs to be blamed for the actions of a person.In a put up on X, the Blackburn MP stated Sikh residents shouldn’t face harassment over against the law dedicated by a single individual.“That is terrible. No group ought to must dwell in concern like this, and no group needs to be held liable for the crimes of a person,” Hussain wrote.“Solidarity with the Sikh group. The federal government should guarantee its security is prioritised and needed reassurance is offered.”His feedback come after Sikh group leaders in Southampton reported a rise in racial abuse and hostility following the conviction of 23-year-old Vickrum Singh Digwa for the homicide of Nowak.Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimal time period of 21 years for fatally stabbing the college pupil in December 2025 with a 21cm kirpan, a ceremonial blade carried by some Sikhs as an article of religion. Through the investigation, Digwa falsely claimed he had been subjected to racial abuse, a declare rejected by the court docket.Representatives from Southampton’s Sikh group instructed The Occasions many residents now really feel unsafe in public and are avoiding routine actions, together with visits to native gurdwaras.A spokesperson for Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar stated some members had confronted racial abuse at workplaces, supermarkets and care services, and {that a} group memorial occasion was cancelled over security issues.“We’re feeling victimised and persons are scared to come back out of their home,” the spokesperson stated, including that public dialogue surrounding the case had unfairly related the broader Sikh group with the actions of 1 particular person.Group leaders have additionally pushed again towards criticism of the kirpan, arguing that the weapon used within the assault shouldn’t outline a spiritual article noticed by Sikhs worldwide.Group representatives have additionally known as for calm and urged residents to not direct anger on the broader Sikh inhabitants, stressing that the homicide was the act of a person moderately than a mirrored image of a whole religion group.
