Kiran Kaur to be sentenced on July 17; American Sikh Council opposes calls to ban kirpan after UK murder case

AMRITSAR: Kiran Kaur, 53, who was found guilty of assisting her son after he fatally stabbed an 18-year-old student in Southampton, will be sentenced on July 17, even as the American Sikh Council (ASC) has expressed concern over demands to ban the kirpan, saying an entire faith should not be blamed for the criminal act of one individual.Kaur was convicted of assisting an offender after attempting to conceal the blade used by her son, Vickrum Digwa, 23, who was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years for murdering Henry Nowak. He was reportedly in possession of a Persian dagger and a kirpan.According to media reports, Digwa stabbed Nowak with a 21-cm Persian dagger on December 3 last year as the teenager was walking home after a night out with friends in Southampton.He initially claimed he had been racially abused, that his turban had been knocked off, and that he acted in self-defence, but police investigations found those claims to be false.After the attack, Digwa handed the murder weapon to his mother, who hid it at their home, where police also recovered more than 20 other weapons.Reacting to the case, the ASC said attempts to link the crime with the Sikh faith or justify restrictions on the kirpan were "deeply misplaced."

The Council pointed out that the weapon used in the murder was not the kirpan, one of the five articles of faith worn by initiated Sikhs, but a separate Persian dagger carried by the accused.Describing the kirpan as a sacred religious symbol representing justice, compassion and the duty to protect the vulnerable, the Council said millions of Sikhs around the world have carried it responsibly for generations while living as peaceful and law-abiding citizens.The Council also noted that reports presented during the trial indicated Digwa had a history of behavioural and mental health issues and had reportedly been barred from attending his local gurdwara because of repeated confrontations. It urged authorities not to allow the actions of one disturbed person to undermine the religious freedoms of the global Sikh community.