Pak-origin man arrested for vandalising Gurudwara in UK

A man of Pakistani origin has been arrested by Police in England's Derby after he vandalised Guru Arjan Dev Gurdwara on Tuesday morning. He vandalised the Gurudwara and left a note which mentioned Kashmir.

London: A Pakistani man who vandalised a Gurudwara in Derby in England has been arrested. The attack took place at Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurdwara Derby. The attack took place earlier this morning and the attacker has been identified as a man of Pakistan origin.

An official statement issued by Gurudwara Guru Arjan Dev ji says, "We can confirm that individual who entered Gurdwara and caused damaged have been apprehended by police. The cleanup process was started and no individual was injured in the attack. From the evidence obtained so far the male's attire and the note which he left appears that he is of Muslim background. This is an area of a multicultural community. They all have lived and work together for many years, especially during these times faith-based charities have been at the forefront. This incident nor this message will create any tension between relations but how you react to this will. We acknowledge this may be an individual or small group, however, we should not malign the whole Muslim community and therefore request people to refrain from such posts".

“The hate crime or any other crime against Sikh will never deter us I practise of ‘Seva’ and ‘Simran’. We will continue to serve the community with langar and continue to stream live ‘Nitnem’. We will ensure the safety of all sevadars ( volunteers) and employees”, it added. Incident was condemned by Sikh leaders globally," added the official statement.

After the news of the attack, there have been social media posts that could raise tension between communities. Local Gurdwara Committee asked people to refrain from posting such content.

"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," tweeted Labour MP Preet Kaur Gill.

• 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 🙏 #HateCrime

  — Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) May 25, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  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 🙏 #HateCrime

  — Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) May 25, 2020

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  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 🙏 #HateCrime

  — Preet Kaur Gill MP (@PreetKGillMP) May 25, 2020

  
  

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said the news was shocking and such intolerance and hatred must end if humanity has to survive.

• Shocking news of vandalism of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara in Derby, UK by a man of Pakistani origin, who’s been arrested. Such intolerance & hatred must end if humanity has to survive, especially when the world is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.https://t.co/3Aghmr5naH

  — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 25, 2020 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="

  Shocking news of vandalism of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara in Derby, UK by a man of Pakistani origin, who’s been arrested. Such intolerance & hatred must end if humanity has to survive, especially when the world is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.https://t.co/3Aghmr5naH

  — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 25, 2020

  ">

  Shocking news of vandalism of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara in Derby, UK by a man of Pakistani origin, who’s been arrested. Such intolerance & hatred must end if humanity has to survive, especially when the world is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis.https://t.co/3Aghmr5naH

  — Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 25, 2020

  
  

"Shocking news of vandalism of Guru Arjan Dev Ji Gurudwara in Derby, UK by a man of Pakistani origin, who's been arrested. Such intolerance and hatred must end if humanity has to survive, especially when the world is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis," he said in a tweet.

Consulate General of India in Birmingham expressed shock and called on communities to stand together in this time of difficulty. "We are deeply saddened and shocked by the attack on Guru Arjan Dev Gurudwara Derby this morning. We hope that all communities will stand together in this time of difficulty to maintain peace and harmony in the spirit of universal brotherhood," it said in a tweet.

(With inputs from ANI)