UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has defended the legal right of Sikhs to carry kirpans in Britain following the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak, who was fatally stabbed with the ceremonial blade by Vickrum Digwa.
Digwa was found guilty of murdering Nowak after stabbing him to death on December 3, 2025 with a 21-centimeter kirpan, a ceremonial blade that Sikhs are legally permitted to carry in the UK for religious reasons. Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was also found guilty of assisting an offender.
The case has some questioning the legality of kirpans, with some calling for restrictions on the practice following the killing. On the murder, Mahmood defended the existing legal protections for Sikhs carrying kirpans and said criminal misuse of the blade should not affect those rights.
"In relation to knife controls, there have been calls to limit the right of Sikhs to carry their ceremonial knife, the kirpan, one of the five holy items in their faith," she said. "The Offensive Weapons Act of 2019, passed under the previous government, clarified and strengthened existing legal protections in relation to long kirpans. This included extending defences so that kirpans can be lawfully possessed for religious reasons and used in religious and ceremonial contexts.
"But let me be clear, carrying a knife for the purpose of religious observance is one thing. Using it, as so tragically occurred in this case, is quite another. It is a vile act, a crime of the utmost severity, and it will be met with the severest punishment."
On the night of the killing, Digwa, 23, told police that Nowak had "racially abused" him. That allegation was later found to be false during the investigation and subsequent court proceedings.
Digwa pleaded not guilty to murder. Kaur was accused of assisting an offender by allegedly removing the weapon from the scene following the stabbing. Both defendants, who lived on St Denys Road, denied the charges.
Digwa was found guilty of murdering Nowak after stabbing him to death on December 3, 2025 with a 21-centimeter kirpan, a ceremonial blade that Sikhs are legally permitted to carry in the UK for religious reasons. Digwa's mother, Kiran Kaur, 53, was also found guilty of assisting an offender.
The case has some questioning the legality of kirpans, with some calling for restrictions on the practice following the killing. On the murder, Mahmood defended the existing legal protections for Sikhs carrying kirpans and said criminal misuse of the blade should not affect those rights.
"In relation to knife controls, there have been calls to limit the right of Sikhs to carry their ceremonial knife, the kirpan, one of the five holy items in their faith," she said. "The Offensive Weapons Act of 2019, passed under the previous government, clarified and strengthened existing legal protections in relation to long kirpans. This included extending defences so that kirpans can be lawfully possessed for religious reasons and used in religious and ceremonial contexts.
"But let me be clear, carrying a knife for the purpose of religious observance is one thing. Using it, as so tragically occurred in this case, is quite another. It is a vile act, a crime of the utmost severity, and it will be met with the severest punishment."
On the night of the killing, Digwa, 23, told police that Nowak had "racially abused" him. That allegation was later found to be false during the investigation and subsequent court proceedings.
Digwa pleaded not guilty to murder. Kaur was accused of assisting an offender by allegedly removing the weapon from the scene following the stabbing. Both defendants, who lived on St Denys Road, denied the charges.
