Why 18-year-old's murder case has sparked political battle over Sikh kirpans in UK | WION Decodes

Far right political party Reform UK has vowed to abolish the exemption of ‘kirpan’ carried by Sikhs in public after a recent murder conviction. The debate was triggered by the case of Vickrum Digwa, 23, who was convicted of murdering 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak in Southampton using a 21cm kirpan, a ceremonial blade carried by some Sikhs as an article of faith. Digwa's mother was also convicted of assisting an offender by helping remove the weapon after the attack. Reform UK spokesperson Zia Yusuf said that if it came to power, it will ensure that no one other than law enforcement officers should be allowed to carry bladed weapons in public.

Reform UK Calls for Repeal of Kirpan Exemption

In a statement, Reform UK spokesperson said, “I don’t care what religion you are. Nobody other than law enforcement will get to carry deadly weapons under a Reform government,” Yusuf wrote on X. He said that Reform would repeal the legal exemption for kirpans and expand stop-and-search powers as part of a wider effort to tackle knife crime. The proposal was backed by senior Reform figures, who argued that all weapons should be treated equally under the law regardless of religious exemptions. Following Digwa's conviction, prominent right-wing figures, including Elon Musk, have criticised current UK law around carrying the knife.

What the law says?

Under current legislation in UK, a practising Sikh may wear a small, curved blade, known as a Kirpan, close to the body but drawing it in an act of aggression is illegal. Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 states that it shall be a defence for a person charged with having an article with blade or point in public place to prove that they had the article with them for religious reasons. This legislation also applies to anyone wearing it as part of national dress, such as a sgian dubh blade worn as part of Scottish Highland dress. If the item is used in an act of violence then it is deemed an offensive weapon.

Sikh community raises concerns

A leading figure in the UK Sikh federation has told the BBC the community has been "demonised" after the case. Dabinderjit Singh claimed the Sikh community had seen a "huge increase in hate crime" since the trial. Following Thursday's verdict, the UK Sikh Federation said in a statement: “Fully practising Sikhs who wear a Kirpan should continue to recognise the serious responsibility that accompanies it, together with the limited legal protection that exists for wearing it for genuine religious purposes.” The federation said it believed the large blade used by Digwa “was not the normal Kirpan worn by fully practising Sikhs.”