Independent MP Adnan Hussain has backed Southampton’s Sikh community and said no group should be blamed for the actions of an individual amid reports of rising fear and intimidation in Southampton’s Sikh community following the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak.In a post on X, the Blackburn MP said Sikh residents should not be harassed for personal crimes.“This is horrific. No community should live in such fear, and no community should be held accountable for the crimes of an individual,” Hussein wrote.“Solidarity with the Sikh community. The government must ensure its security is a priority and provide the necessary assurances.”His comments came after Sikh community leaders in Southampton reported an increase in racial abuse and hostility following the conviction of 23-year-old Vickrum Singh Digwa for the murder of Nowak.Digwain was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 21 years for stabbing the university student to death in December 2025 with a 21cm long kirpan – a ceremonial blade carried by some Sikhs as an item of faith. During the investigation, Digueva falsely claimed that he had been racially abused, but this claim was rejected by the court.Representatives of Southampton’s Sikh community told The Times that many residents now feel unsafe in public and are avoiding daily activities, including visiting local gurdwaras.A spokesman for the Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar said some members faced racial abuse in workplaces, supermarkets and care facilities, and community commemorations were canceled due to safety concerns.“We feel victimized and people are afraid to step out of their homes,” the spokesman said, adding that public discussion around the case unfairly linked the wider Sikh community to one man’s actions.Community leaders also pushed back against criticism of the kirpan, arguing that the weapons used in the attack should not define religious articles observed by Sikhs around the world.Community representatives also called for calm and urged residents not to blame their anger on the wider Sikh community, stressing that the murder was an individual act and not a reflection of the faith community as a whole.
