Politics · United Kingdom · 23 hrs ago
Sikh Federation says Home Office is wrongly focusing on kirpan after murder
The Sikh Federation says the Home Office is wrongly focusing on the kirpan after 18-year-old Henry Nowak was murdered in Southampton.
Nowak was fatally stabbed by Vickrum Digwa, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison after an appeal court increased his minimum term.
The Federation says the murder weapon was not a kirpan, a sacred blade that some Sikhs carry as part of their faith.
Digwa also had a kirpan hidden from view and a separate 21-centimetre dagger, according to the judge at his sentencing.
Police handcuffed Nowak as he lay dying after Digwa falsely accused him of racial abuse, and the Federation says the Government should address police and agency failures rather than link the kirpan to the killing.
The Home Secretary is considering changes to knife laws after Nowak’s father called for clearer rules on how the kirpan is defined and what it looks like.
The Federation is seeking an urgent meeting with the Government and plans to encourage Sikh places of worship and community members to contact officials and MPs.
The Sikh Federation accused the Home Office of wrongly focusing on the kirpan after Henry Nowak was murdered in Southampton.
The group said the murder weapon was not a kirpan and accused the Government of deflecting attention from police and agency failures.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has indicated she is considering changes to knife legislation after Nowak’s father called for clearer legal definitions of the kirpan.
Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for the murder, a term later increased to 25 years by the Court of Appeal.
The Sikh Federation has demanded an urgent meeting with the Government and urged Sikh institutions and worshippers to contact officials.
- Who
- The Sikh Federation and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The case concerns Henry Nowak, who was murdered by Vickrum Digwa.
- What
- The Sikh Federation says the Home Office is wrongly focusing on the kirpan after Nowak’s murder and is deflecting attention from alleged police and agency failings.
- When
- Nowak was murdered on December 3. The articles do not state the year.
- Where
- Southampton, England.
- Why
- Nowak’s father called for greater clarity in the law on the definition and appearance of the Sikh kirpan, and Mahmood indicated she was considering knife-law changes.
Sikh Federation
Home Office
Focus of the case
Sikh Federation
The murder weapon was not a kirpan, and focusing on the sacred article deflects from police and government agency failings.
Home Office
Mahmood indicated she is considering changes to knife legislation after Nowak’s father called for greater clarity on the kirpan’s legal definition and appearance.
Henry Nowak was fatally stabbed in Southampton by Vickrum Digwa.
Judge William Mousley KC told Digwa’s sentencing hearing that Digwa had a kirpan hidden from view on the night of the murder.
The Court of Appeal increased Digwa’s minimum prison term from 21 years to 25 years.
- Victim
- Henry Nowak, 18
- Killer
- Vickrum Digwa
- Murder location
- Southampton
- Appeal sentence
- Minimum term increased from 21 years to 25 years
- Sikh Federation campaign
- More than 250 Gurdwaras are being encouraged to write to the Prime Minister
What people are saying
The facts are clear: the murder weapon was not a kirpan.
Sikhs support public safety and the fight against knife crime.
The Home Office is attempting to deflect attention away from the real failings by the police and other Government agencies in the Henry Nowak case by inappropriately targeting the kirpan – a sacred article of Sikh faith – despite the clear fact that the murder weapon was not a kirpan.