Pakistani arrested for attacking Sikh shrine in England

A Pakistani man was arrested by the police in the UK for attacking the Guru Arjan Dev shrine in Derby on Monday morning. CCTV footage showed smashed glass doors and glass shards scattered all over the floor.

Ironically, the man was trying to mobilise Sikhs against India over Kashmir in England.

A statement by the gurudwara said that around 6 am, "an individual entered the gurudwara premises causing thousands of pounds of damage. We can confirm that no individual was injured and that the clean-up process has begun."

The gurudwara described the vandalisation of the shrine as a hate crime.

The vandal left a hand-written note in broken English, making an appeal to Sikhs to "help people in Kashmir." Besides scribbling "Pak Allah Pak" in a corner of the paper, the attacker had also provided a phone number.

In a statement, the shrine authorities said, "This hate crime or any sort of crime against a Sikh will never deter us in our practice of <em>seva</em> (service) and <em>simran</em> (prayer). We will continue the service for the community with <em>langar</em> and continue to stream live <em>nitnem</em> (daily prayers). We will ensure the safety of all our <em>sevadars</em> (volunteers) and employees."

The shrine is dedicated to the fifth Sikh guru who compiled the first official edition of the Sikh scripture ‘<em>Adi Granth</em>'.

In increasing violence, Sikh temples have come under attacks in recent months. <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/nankana-sahib-pakistan-stone-pelting-guru-gobind-singh-jayanti-live-updates-jagjit-kaur-1633739-2020-01-03"><strong>A mob attacked a Gurudwara</strong></a> in Pakistan wanting to demolish it and give the area a Muslim name.

In a separate incident, 27 Sikh people lost their lives when they were <a href="https://indianarrative.com/world/27-sikhs-massacred-in-kabul-caa-may-help-them-345.html"><strong>attacked by terrorists in a Kabul Gurudwara</strong> </a>in March this year.

Last year in August, <a href="https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/protesters-attack-indians-celebrating-independence-day-in-london-1.65846569"><strong>people celebrating</strong> </a>the 73rd Independence Day of India outside the Indian High Commission in London were attacked with eggs and water bottles by Pakistan-sponsored protesters.

The Indian High Commission came under attack once again a few weeks later in September after people organised by <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-high-commission-in-london-vandalised-as-protests-over-kashmir-turn-violent-5964642/"><strong>Pakistan indulged in violence</strong>.</a>.