Gurdwara burgled and Sikh man found hung in Kashmir

The Kalgidhar Gurdwara of Jawahar Nagar, Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) was burgled this weekend after thieves broke in and plundered the golak (donations box).

Captured on the Gurdwara’s CCTV, the burglary is being linked to a series of burglaries on places of worship during the pandemic, although the targeting of a Gurdwara coupled with recent Kashmir linked attacks against Sikh places of worship has prompted discussion about potential anti-Sikh motives behind the crime.

In March, Islamic extremist group ISIS slaughtered 25 Sikhs – the youngest aged just three – in a Kabul Gurdwara, whilst just last week a Gurdwara in Derby (UK) was attacked, with both attacks being attributed to a lack of perceived Sikh support for Kashmir, an area that has been under state lockdown since last year.

#Theft. #Burglary #CCTV footage.
Burglar caught on Camera. He can be seen Breaking locks of donation box of Gurdwara Sahab Jawahar Nagar Srinagar and stealing cash. pic.twitter.com/dm11XLR3zq

— Rifat Abdullah رفعت عبداللہ (@rifatabdullahh) May 30, 2020

“Burglars have broken into Gurdwara Jawahar Nagar and decamped with some cash after making their way into Gurdwara through a window. They have broken open a wooden safe in the Gurdwara and looted some cash,” said a police spokesman.

The exact amount that was stolen has not been confirmed.

Around the same time, images (which we will not share) of a Sikh man, named as Ravinder Singh, found hung from a tree in the South Kashmir area of Kulgam. An investigation into the death is being carried out by police. Sikh sources in Kashmir have stated they are unsure whether this is suicide as some have reported or whether the death involved something more sinister, as others have reported, based on a history of anti-Sikh Islamic militancy in Kashmir.

Sikh PA will provide updates on these stories as they break.