A teenage boy has been charged after a knife attack on worshipers at a Sikh temple in Gravesend, Kent.
Police were called to Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara at 8.10pm on Thursday 11 July 2024 following a disturbance and arrested a 17-year-old boy at the scene.
Two women were left with cuts and bruises on their hands and arms, but no one was seriously injured, the force confirmed.
Police recovered a bladed weapon and secured the area.
The 17-year-old boy has now been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, use or threat of unlawful violence, threats to kill, threatening a person with a bladed weapon and possession of a bladed object in a public place.
Sri Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend, Kent where two women were injured after a knife attack on Thursday July 11, 2024.
Two women were left with cuts and bruises on their hands and arms after a 17-year-old boy reportedly entered the temple with a knife.
Avtar Singh, 44, (pictured) tackled the attacker to the ground. He described him as wielding two swords and entering the sanctuary in an ‘aggressive mood’
The teenager has been remanded in custody and will appear at Maidstone Crown Court later today.
On Thursday night, a teenager reportedly entered a peaceful place of worship with a deadly weapon.
Avtar Singh, 44, arrested the boy who was pictured wielding two swords.
He said: ‘We have been told that, suddenly, everyone came out of the temple and I just wondered what they were saying like that.
‘So I sent the kids and the missus down and as soon as I heard them calling me “Avtar, Avtar – go upstairs” so I just went upstairs, I didn’t know what was going on.
“When I entered the hall, a man was sitting in a pot of money – sitting there with two swords in his hands, not on his head and in an aggressive mood. I could not see – this is against our religion, I think a lot.
‘I just went straight towards him, tried to tackle him – he also put the sword at me, and then I fell on the floor, then we hit him with something to try to catch him, he fell on the floor too. ‘
He added: ‘I grabbed his leg and bent his leg like that to try to control him and then the police put handcuffs on – otherwise you don’t get handcuffs.’
A 17-year-old boy was arrested on the ground and handcuffed by police after allegedly entering the temple with a weapon.
Kent Police descended on the Gurdwara after reports of worshipers being attacked at the shrine
Mr Singh said two girls were attacked, including one bitten on the shoulder and hand.
He continued: ‘The way he walks and with two swords in his hand, walks there with the people and has hit two people.
‘It was really bad.
‘Then he ran around the other side, he ran around the other side of the road, and we chased him all the way to Trinity School and then two Indian boys stopped him, arrested him and that’s when the police came.’
The force confirmed they are treating it as an isolated incident.
Ch Supt Angie Chapman said: ‘We are aware of the concerns of local residents about this incident, which they consider quiet.
‘Our patrols will remain in the area to reassurance and we would like to thank the public for their continued support and assistance.’
The video, taken while the teenager was being held by Kent police, shows officers shouting at him to ‘roll over’ as members of the congregation help to secure the teenager’s arms and legs.
Among the crowd shown in the video are two injured girls, with bloody hands and injured arms.
The spokesman for Gravesend Gurdwara, Jagdev Singh Virdee, 68, said on Thursday: “It is shocking that something like this has happened and the attention it has received for the gurdwara – which is considered a place of sanctuary, security, peace and so on. .
“For the incident that happened in the gurdwara is a surprise for the whole community because we welcome everyone and we like to keep the spirit alive.
‘We don’t want to be seen as unwelcoming to people from any community – Gurdwaras are open to everyone and we want to keep it that way so we will be reviewing our security to see how we can improve it further.’
He said that the incident occurred after Sukhasan, the Sikh closing ritual that occurs at sunset at the end of the wroship, had taken place, and confirmed that the scripture Guru Granth Sahib Ji was not in the hall.
New Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner had visited the same Gurdwara two weeks ago
Angela Rayner (left) and Dr Lauren Sullivan (right) visited the Gurdwara as part of the general election campaign two weeks before the attack.
The spokesperson continued: “The Gurdwara is co-operating fully with Kent Police who are taking the incident very seriously, with the District Commander on site to support during the investigation. The man was found by the Gurdwara’s security team and the police were called immediately.
‘We will update Sangat over the next few days as more information becomes available.’
On Thursday evening, one resident told Kent Online: ‘Police helicopters circled the town center at around 8pm, shortly after an air ambulance landed in the grounds of the Gurdwara.
‘There were two ambulances and five police vehicles parked on Trinity Road which was recorded by Holy Trinity primary school.
‘A neighbor said he heard that two people were stabbed in the gurdwara with a large knife.’
Angela Rayner, the new Deputy Prime Minister, visited a Gurdwara in Kent less than two weeks before the attack.
As part of the general election campaign, he met with Gurdwara leaders along with Labor candidate Dr Lauren Sullivan – who went on to take the seat of Gravesham from Conservative MP Adam Holloway.
Detailing the visit in a post on X, Rayner said: “It was an honor to visit the Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Gravesend with Labor candidate Lauren Sullivan.
‘We met with Gurdwara leaders and discussed Labour’s commitment to working with faith communities to deliver the change Britain needs.’
Reacting to the news, Dr Sullivan, the newly elected MP for Gravesham, said: “I am shocked and saddened by what happened at the Gurdwara in Gravesend this evening. My thoughts are with the sick, their families and the community.
‘I would like to thank the emergency services for their response to this terrible event.
‘Full details are still emerging and there are a lot of rumors running around, so we are letting the emergency services deal with the situation and complete their investigation and release any information they can.’
Security minister Dan Jarvis also posted on X, earlier on Twitter, that he was being updated on the attack, adding: ‘All communities must be safe in their places of worship.’
This is a breaking story, more to follow
