A Pakistani man, who was allegedly trying to mobilise Sikhs against India over Kashmir in England, attacked the Guru Arjan Dev shrine in Derby on Monday morning.
The man was later identified and arrested for causing damages worth thousands of pounds at the Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara, around 200 km from London.
The gurdwara described the vandalisation a hate crime and in a statement said that “an individual entered the gurdwara premises causing thousands of pounds of damage. We can confirm that no individual was injured and that the clean-up process has begun.”
The CCTV footages showed smashed glass doors of the gurdwara, glass shards scattered all over the floor and a man inside the premises.
The man also left a note in broken English mentioning Kashmir on the walls of the gurdwara, according to the communique received by New Delhi. “Try to help Kashmir people otherwise problem everyone,” the message read, along with a phone number.
“This hate crime or any sort of crime against a Sikh will never deter us in our practice of seva (service) and simran (prayer). We will continue the service for the community with langar and continue to stream live nitnem (daily prayers). We will ensure the safety of all our sevadars (volunteers) and employees,” the shrine authorities said.
Attacks on Indians and Indian-origin people in London are rampant. Last year in August, Indians and people of Indian origin, who had gathered outside the Indian High Commission in London to celebrate the 73rd Independence Day of India, were abused and pelted with eggs and water bottles by Pakistan-sponsored protesters.
(Inputs from IANS)