British Sikhs have long been considered a model minority and an integration success story. The core teachings of Sikhism promote equality for all human beings. This is not merely in word, but deed. Go to any gurdwara anywhere in the world and you can get a free vegetarian meal, regardless of who you are.

Decades of good will for British Sikhs has been damaged because of the action of one dishonest Sikh heritage monster

Over the years, Britain has made legal accommodations for Sikhs. Turbaned Sikhs have an exemption from wearing a helmet on a motorbike, famously satirised in the British sitcom Only Fools and Horses with the ‘Del Boy turban helmet’. Baptised Sikhs (Amritdharis) are provided an exemption (and a defence) on religious grounds, under the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, to carry a ceremonial knife, known as the kirpan, as part of five symbols of their faith – colloquially known as the 5Ks. This is by no means unique to a minority of Sikhs, an exemption is also in place for the Scottish Dirk/Sgian Dubh as part of legitimate Highland dress. The 5Ks, stem from Guru Gobind Singh’s (the 10th Guru) stand against Mughal tyranny – and the kirpan is designated for self-defence purposes only.

But decades of good will for British Sikhs has been damaged because of the action of one dangerous and dishonest Sikh heritage monster: Vickrum Digwa, who killed finance student Henry Nowak last December in Southampton, with a 21cm Persian blade known as a pesh-kabz. On Monday, Digwa – a man with a ‘weapons obsession’ – was jailed for at least 21 years.

After stabbing Nowak, Digwa filmed his victim as he sat on the floor bleeding to death. When the police arrived at the scene, they handcuffed Nowak, not Digwa, because Digwa had falsely accused his victim of racism. The police watchdog is investigating why Nowak was handcuffed and arrested while dying. The bodycam footage is difficult to watch. As he was dying, Nowak, said: ‘I can’t breathe’. These words were also used by George Floyd in the United States, as he lay dying in the street. The resulting Black Lives Matter backlash from that incident led to Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner taking the knee in solidarity. Although Starmer posted about the case, he has not yet, in this case, taken the knee.

Allegations of two-tier justice are warranted in this case. Why was Digwa, rather than Nowak, believed by officers? The allegation of ‘racism’ appears to have been a trump card deployed by Digwa to persuade police that he was the victim. For a minute or two – the final moments of Nowak’s life – it worked. Why?

Digwa, of course, does not represent Sikhs. His murderous actions are a corruption of everything Sikhs believe in. But the fact that Digwa was carrying a kirpan has led some to believe that the law needs to be changed.

MPs from three political parties are now calling for the kirpan to be banned. Conservative party chairman Kevin Hollinrake MP said his party is reviewing the religious exemption for Sikhs. But why stop at just reviewing the kirpan? What about the Dirk/Sgian Dubh? After all, the Sgian Dubh has been used in at least one reported murder case. And Britain’s knife crime epidemic is about far more than kirpans. In 2023-24, there were a total of 262 knife homicides recorded for all age groups. The majority of these (42 per cent) were carried out with ordinary kitchen knives, which are easy for most people to get hold of.

Does the law need changing? It is worth remembering that the kirpan wasn’t used in the murder. Digwa’s assertion that the 21cm Persian dagger, which was used to kill Nowak, was part of his faith was outright rejected in court. The law, then, is already serving its purpose. This appalling case should not lead to a crackdown on innocent Sikhs.

In a rare moment of honesty, the otherwise dishonest Digwa admitted after he stabbed Nowak: ‘I’m a fool’. He is right. Digwa has single handedly caused serious damage to the good reputation of Britain’s 525,865 majority law abiding Sikh community. We are facing what feels like collective punishment for his heinous and cowardly crime.

The online pile-on against Sikhs on platforms like X is unprecedented. If we had an equivalent to Tell MAMA, the Community Security Trust or the British Muslim Trust, there would no doubt be many news reports about the levels of online hatred Sikhs are facing for the behaviour of one rotten apple.

In his sentencing remarks at Southampton Crown Court, His Honour Judge William Mousley KC said, ‘Your [Digwa’s] actions have stirred up racial tension in Southampton and across the country which have made many Sikhs worried about their own safety even though they have done absolutely nothing wrong.’

Online protagonists not only want to ban the kirpan, some also wish to, ‘DEPORT ALL SIKHS’. Yet Digwa’s actions no more represent me than the actions of a white murderer represent others of the perpetrator’s race.

People are right to express anger about what has happened. But much of the commentary about this tragedy borders on the absurd and constitutes a crude vilification of all Sikhs. Most Sikhs I’ve spoken to in recent days unequivocally condemn Digwa and his family. They are all expressing solidarity with the Nowak family. Don’t judge Sikhs based on the actions of a reprehensible individual like Vickrum Digwa.