The grandmother of Henry Nowak’s killer has spoken for the first time since the disturbing case sparked a national furore – and says the case has destroyed two families.
Vickrum Digwa, who repeatedly stabbed the innocent student before lying to police that he had been racist, was jailed for life on Monday – sparking mass protests in Southampton which were marred by violence.
Now the murderer’s grandmother has become the first family member to discuss the case publicly – and revealed that they are living in fear of reprisals, with some family members now in hiding.
Describing Digwa as a ‘difficult boy’, she also defended his mother who covered up for him by hiding the knife he used to kill Henry, saying she did what any mum would do to protect her son.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail from her home in Southampton, Hampshire, Bimla Kaur, 75, said: ‘This whole case has destroyed two families: Henry’s and mine.
‘We are in a hard situation because we still have to support him [Digwa] but at the same time our hearts are broken and I’m very sorry for what’s happened.’
She explained that her family come from a particularly martial Sikh sect that prides itself on being skilled in the use of swords, knives and other weapons while proclaiming themselves to be the ‘commandos’ of the faith – but said that Digwa had abused this heritage.
Mrs Kaur went on: ‘These weapons are not meant to be used on the innocent, so something has gone wrong. He’s done a very bad thing – there’s no argument over that.’
Murderer Vickrum Digwa (pictured) lied to police and told them Henry Nowak ripped off his turban in a racist attack
Henry Nowak, 18, was a finance student at the University of Southampton and was described as ‘kind and talented’ by his family
Video shows Vickrum Digwa flaunting deadly weapons in the years before his murderous attack on Henry Nowak
Digwa, 23, regularly participated in combat sessions with an array of arms as a member of the Nihangs, an ancient order of Sikhism that was formed around 900 years ago to protect the religion and its gurdwaras (places of worship) at a time when they were under attack from Muslim rulers in India.
The Nihangs became known for their bravery and ruthlessness on the battlefield and expertise with weapons such as swords, knives, spears and iron chains, earning a fearsome reputation for being the ‘army of Sikhism’.
Mrs Kaur went on: ‘Most of the men in this family are Nihangs and so is Vickrum. As a Nihang, Vickrum was devoted to that way of life. It meant everything to him.
‘It’s an important part of our faith and it’s something that I’m proud of, that there are Nihangs in this family. They were formed to protect Sikhism, that’s why weapons are so important to them.’
She added again: ‘But these weapons are not meant to be used on the innocent.
‘What also makes me sad is that our whole community is now being targeted with all this talk of banning kirpans.
‘Despite being a Nihang, Vickrum has also been a difficult boy but that’s not unusual for children who are born in Britain.’
Police bodycam footage shows innocent victim Henry Nowak, 18, being forced into handcuffs by officers after he was stabbed repeatedly by a knife-obsessed Sikh man
Murderer Digwa lied to police at the scene, telling officers Mr Nowak had not been stabbed and had instead attack him
Bimla revealed that following the violence that took place in Southampton after Digwa’s conviction, his father Moga and his other son, Gurpreet have gone into hiding – and are considering leaving the city altogether.
She said: ‘It’s not safe for them to be in their home because it was targeted the other night and it’s only a matter of time before it is attacked again.
‘Both Moga and Gurpreet are with relatives in a safe place and to be honest, I’m not sure if they’ll ever return to that house again.’
Scanning the surroundings outside her home in central Southampton she added: ‘We’re all living in fear because we’ve also had some threats and are worried that we might also get attacked.
‘But we’ve been in this city a long time, our whole extended family is here, and we don’t have anywhere else to go.’
Digwa’s mother Kiran Kaur, 52, was asked by him to take the weapon away from the murder scene and she is due to be sentenced for assisting an offender later this month. She is currently being held on remand.
Bimla said: ‘I’ve been to see her in prison and she’s doing the best she can. She only did what any mother would have done, which is to protect her child. And now she’s going to be punished for this.
‘Kiran has done a good job raising those two boys and was very supportive of them becoming Nihangs. It wasn’t an issue for her because that’s what she wanted and like me, was very proud of that. It’s a huge honour for our family.’
Sharing details about the family, Bimla described her daughter-in-law as a ‘devout Sikh’ and housewife who never worked but was focused on raising her children in a traditional Sikh household.
She married Vickrum’s father in India after it was arranged by relatives in 1995 and came to Britain soon after, setting up home in Southampton and giving birth to two sons.
Despite being born and raised in Southampton hundreds of years after their formation, Digwa became a devoted member of the order, living by its strict code which combines religious and military discipline.
Riot police armed with plastic shields face off with protesters in Southampton on Tuesday night
Murderer Vickrum Digwa is seen lying to police as he tells them the teenager ripped off his turban in a racist attack – and points out where he was supposedly ‘hurt’
An image issued by the Crown Prosecution Service shows the eight-inch ceremonial dagger used by Digwa
He regularly practised Gatka – the Nihang martial art which involves fighting with swords and sticks and also taught it to Sikh youngsters who attended the same gurdwara as him close to his home.
He amassed a large number of kirpans, ceremonial swords or daggers which are permissible under British law, which he saw as his indelible right to own as a Nihang.
But it later emerged that he also owned a number of illegal weapons and was described in court as being ‘weapons obsessed’.
Nihangs are known for wearing vibrant blue robes while carrying traditional weaponry and with steel bands adorning their turbans.
Digwa was regularly seen in such attire while proudly displaying his weapons during Sikh festivals and when visiting the gurdwara.
While Digwa had been wearing a traditional kirpan under his clothing, the weapon he used on Henry was much bigger and he had worn it in a sheath on top of his clothes.
Sentencing Digwa to life with a minimum of 21 years imprisonment for Henry’s murder, Judge William Mousley KC noted that he was ‘a member of a Sikh order called the Nihang’.
Digwa claimed that he had a second knife because it is a Nihang tradition, but the judge insisted that this was not a ‘strict requirement’.
There are no precise figures available on how many Nihangs there are in the UK, but they are visible in large numbers during Sikh religious festivals, performing Gatka and exhibiting other martial skills.
Digwa was raised in an orthodox Sikh household in Southampton and both his father, Moga Singh, 52, and brother Gurpreet Singh, 27, are also Nihangs.
They have also been charged with possessing multiple other weapons such as a flick knife, an extendable baton, knuckledusters, a machete, swords and kusaris.
Moga runs a car valeting business which is located on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Southampton, but it has been closed over the past few weeks as Digwa’s trial came to an end.
The father is known to his employees as ‘Gary’ – with one telling the Daily Mail that he is now considering shutting the business down permanently as he considers leaving Southampton.
The employee, who did not want to be named, said: ‘We’ve not seen Gary in quite a few weeks and I’m not sure if he’ll return here, apart from coming to collect a few of his things and close the whole thing down.
‘It’s not safe for him to be in Southampton. We call him Gary because we can’t pronounce his real name and he doesn’t mind that.
‘But he’s got quite a fiery temper and not somebody you’d want to get on the wrong side of. And his boys are exactly the same.’
Digwa taught Gatka and other martial skills at the Gurdwara Khalsa Darbar, which is just a short walk from his home.
Jas Singh, a Nihang who knew Digwa, said: ‘He [Digwa] is a fake Nihang. Yes, weapons are important to us, and we learn to use them, but it is clearly stipulated that they can only be used to protect the faith, uphold justice and defend the innocent, not kill them.
‘The Nihangs are an upright and noble people, but Digwa was none of these things. He was a common thug and yob, no different to any other you commonly see on the streets of Britain. There is more to being a Nihang than owning weapons and dressing in a particular way.’
Another regular at the gurdwara added: ‘Digwa had a really bad temper on him, behaved badly and thought that he could get away with anything.
‘A lot of people in this area didn’t like him or some of his family and we’ll be glad to see the back of them because they have disgraced us all.’
