Gurdwara attacked in UK hate-crime, thousands of pounds worth damage caused

The Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara in Derby was subjected to hate-crime on Monday morning when one person entered the premises and caused damage worth thousands of pounds, gurdwara officials said.

Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill regretted the incident: “Very sad to see an attack on any place of worship. Thoughts are with the Derby sangat who have been providing 500 meals a day from Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara”.

Images of the person caught on CCTV entering the premises were shared by the gurdwara on social media while reporting the incident, causing concern and demands for his arrest.

The gurdwara said in a statement: “This morning at 6am an individual entered the Gurdwara premises causing thousands of pounds of damage…We can confirm that no individuals were injured and that the clean-up process has begun”.

“This hate crime or any sort of crime against a Sikh will never deter us in our practice of seva and simran. We will continue the service the community with Langar and continue to stream live nitnem (daily prayers). We will ensure the safety of all our Sevadhaars (colunteers) and employees”, it added.

Gurdwaras across the UK have been recipients of funding as part of a government scheme to install security equipment to prevent hate-crime in places of worship, but such incidents have continued.