A UK-based Sikh restaurant owner has called for a ban on the kirpan, arguing that the ceremonial blade is being misused as a weapon against unarmed civilians despite its importance as a tenet of faith in Sikhism.Harman Singh Kapoor, who runs Rangrez restaurant in London, has previously made headlines due to the controversy surrounding the serving of non-halal meat at the restaurant.Kapoor’s comments come days after Vikram Dhigwa, 23, was found guilty of murdering 18-year-old university student Henry Nowak using a 21cm kirpan. Degoa claimed he acted in self-defense during the confrontation, but the jury rejected that argument and found him guilty of murder.
His mother was also convicted of assisting an offender after helping to remove the weapon from the scene.
Harman Singh Kapoor calls for ban on kirpan
The case has reignited debate over legal exemptions that allow Sikhs to carry a kirpan, one of the five beliefs to which Sikhs adhere.This issue has also entered mainstream political debate. Zia Yousaf, Reform UK’s official spokesman, recently said his party would remove the exemption allowing Sikhs to carry a kirpan if it came to power.
“I don’t care what religion you are. No one other than law enforcement will be able to carry lethal weapons under a reformist government,” Youssef wrote on X.The issue has raised different views within and outside the Sikh community. Supporters of the current dispensation argue that the vast majority of kirpan holders wear the ceremonial blade only as a religious symbol rather than as a weapon.
