British Sikh Mps Defend Kirpan As Punjab Origin Man S Murder Conviction Triggers Political Storm

The conviction of a Punjab-origin man who was held guilty of killing an 18-year-old student with a ceremonial knife, the kirpan, has reignited debate over balancing Sikh religious freedom with public safety laws in the UK. British Sikh Vickrum Digwa, 23, was s... British Sikh Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday after being found guilty of the murder of Henry Nowak, who was caught on police body-worn camera footage being handcuffed in his final moments over racism allegations. Digwa had presented his murder weapon as a religious item in court. As the incident from December last year in Southampton caused an uproar, Britain’s Sikh lawmakers on Tuesday defended the kirpan during a heated debate in the UK Parliament. UK home secretary Shabana Mahmood in a statement in the House of Commons said 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”. She 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 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”. 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,” he said. In the body camera footage Nowak is heard repeatedly telling police “I can’t breathe” as he lay mortally wounded. When police arrived at the scene in the south coast city of Southampton, Digwa lied to officers, telling them Nowak had racially insulted him and that he was the victim. The footage, which was played during Digwa’s trial, shows police accepting the aggressor’s accusation, and rather than helping Nowak, initially handcuffing him despite his pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. The council of Southampton Gurdwaras have released a statement of solidarity and “ardas (prayers)” as