Days after a British Sikh woman was stabbed to death in West London, Sikh groups in the UK say there has been a sharp rise in anti-Sikh hate crimes over the past two months. They have begun lobbying MPs in the UK Parliament, targeting the present government for its failure to tackle the hate crimes.
24-year-old Kirandeep Kaur was killed while another man was seriously injured in a twin stabbing incident in Hayes, West London on Sunday. The attacker was arrested and has been charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. Police have not identified a motive yet.
In April this year, a man was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a Sikh woman inside her home after following her there from a bus stop in Birmingham. He admitted in court he had mistaken her for a Muslim and had hurled anti-Muslim abuse during the assault.
The lobbying campaign is being organised by the Sikh Federation UK along with its associate Sikh Network to press the government to recognise hate crimes against Sikhs on a par with other forms of religious and racial hatred. The Sikh Network conducted a spot survey among more than 1,000 Sikh respondents, 90% of whom believed racial hatred crimes had increased with 84% saying they were taking extra precautions in their daily lives. 40% of the respondents said they had experienced or witnessed anti-Sikh incidents but only 6% of the incidents had been reported to the police. 70% of the respondents stated they had no confidence that the police would take their reports seriously.
The Sikh Federation says such incidents have seen a rise since mid-May when a Sikh youth was convicted for the fatal stabbing of Henry Novak in Southampton. The case sparked a political debate over the exemption granted to the Sikh community for wearing the kirpan for religious purposes. The Federation says that the focus on the kirpan following the case had contributed to increased hostility towards members of the Sikh community.
The Indian Workers Association, one of Britain’s oldest anti-racist organisations, has also condemned the recent killing calling for a full, independent and transparent investigation into all possible motives, including whether racial or religious hatred had a role in the attack.
There are no official statistics specifically identifying hate crimes against Sikhs, making it difficult to independently verify claims of a recent surge. Britian is home to more than 500,000 Sikhs, one of the largest Sikh communities outside India.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of Sadda Punjab or any affiliated organization.
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