Sikh leaders call for harmony in wake of unrest

Leaders in Southampton's Sikh community have called for "peace and harmony" following violent protests over the murder of Henry Nowak.

Multiple police officers were left injured following clashes with demonstrators on Tuesday evening near the home of Nowak's killer, Vickrum Digwa, in the Portswood area.

The Council of Southampton Gurdwaras - which represents the city's Sikh community - condemned Digwa's actions but said violence on the streets should never be tolerated.

Digwa stabbed Nowak, 18, with a blade he said he carried for religious reasons, then lied to police at the scene, falsely claiming he was the victim of a racist attack, leading officers to arrest Nowak instead of his killer.

The 23-year-old was jailed for life with a minimum 21-year term on Monday.

Tuesday's unrest came amid scrutiny over why officers arrested Nowak as he lay dying.

Demonstrators marched from Southampton Central Police Station to the Portswood area, where chairs, cans and flares were thrown at officers in riot gear, forcing them and three police vans to retreat.

Pritheepal Singh, from the Council of Southampton Gurdwaras, said the community stood firmly with the Nowak family.

"The scenes I've seen are horrific and it has caused a lot of community tension," he said. "We really would like to see peace and harmony within our Southampton communities and beyond."

Harjap Singh, a former chair of the council and a community leader, said he had never witnessed an incident in which so much focus had been placed on the Sikh community.

He said Sikh philosophy does not permit a blade that is carried as part of their faith to be used as a "weapon to attack people" and emphasised the community's role in British history and contribution to both World Wars.

"Sikhs do respect every community and they always respect community relations. They go out of their way to maintain that respect, not just for themselves, for everybody else."

He added: "Our sympathy, our support, our respect is with the family. We hope it never happens to anyone again."

The Bishop of Southampton, Rhiannon King, visited the Sikh community on Wednesday alongside colleagues from the Church of England and the Southampton Council of Faiths to show solidarity.

"What happened back in December is a one-off knife crime - a horrific thing. It doesn't reflect and it shouldn't reflect badly at all on the Sikh community," she said.

She described the protests as "absolutely horrific" and said violence could never correct violence.

"What you saw [on Tuesday night] is not Southampton," she said. "Southampton is an amazing place full of amazing people and we have a reputation for centuries of welcoming people from all over the world and living very comfortably together."

Satvir Kaur, the Sikh MP for Southampton Test, visited members of the community affected by the protests.

"I was talking to a mum earlier who's now worried about her children leaving the house," she said.

"What is never justified and what is never the solution is violence and disorder."

Birmingham MP Preet Kaur Gill said Sikh MPs met when the sentencing of Digwa took place on Monday.

She said her thoughts were with Novak's family who had shown an "unbelievable amount of strength" after a "senseless and tragic loss".

"What I want, and I urge our communities, all of our communities, is that we can't allow the actions of one murderer to divide our communities, or fuel hostility or misinformation," she said.

Arjan Singh Rai says he has been left feeling "uncomfortable" at the violent scenes.

He does not wear a turban but said he was worried for those who are identifiably Sikh.

"I'm not a practising Sikh but members of my family are and my faith has played a central role in pretty much anything I do," he told BBC Newsbeat.

The 24-year-old has family living in Southampton and said the community there has been left in "shock".

"People are exploiting this for their own agenda," he said.

He currently lives in London and is involved with the British South Asian Bridgers Project, which works to build community connections and defuse tensions.

The student also believed there should be reassurance provided around the Kirpan.

"People are calling for the Kirpan to be banned which I don't think is the right way going forward, especially when it wasn't used," he added.

Shaina Sangha, from Essex, has similar feelings and admitted she was "a little bit anxious" for family members "who look visibly Sikh on the street".

The 25-year-old told BBC Newsbeat the community are just trying to "get on" but finds the increased coverage around the Kirpan "strange".

"This is such a horrendous and upsetting incident, but I feel nervous that there will be this very quick and immediate reaction to ban the Kirpan," she said.

She feels there are "steps you can take between the current situation and completely banning" the kirpan - a sacred element of Sikhism - which might work better for people.

"To ban it outright without any discussion would for me, represent a serious curtailment of Sikh people's right to religious expression in the UK."

• Additional reporting by Mollie Perella and Abu Bakar Yasin, BBC Newsbeat