The grandmother of Henry Nowak's killer has spoken out about the case, saying it has destroyed two families and that they are living in fear of reprisals. Vickrum Digwa, who repeatedly stabbed the innocent student before lying to police that he had been racist, was jailed for life on Monday.
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 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 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 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 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 attacked 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
Henry Nowak Vickrum Digwa Sikhism Nihangs Kirpans
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