TOI correspondent from London: British-born Sikh Vickrum Singh Digwa was convicted this week of murdering 18-year-old Southampton University student Henry Nowak with a 21cm kirpan, a verdict that ignited political demands to ban carrying the ceremonial dagger in public spaces even for religious reasons.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, said he had given 'demonstrations' with Sikh weapons since he was 10 years old and admitted that he 'did know how to use them'.

A jury is now deciding the case of a Sikh man accused of murdering 18-year-old Henry Nowak after a late-night confrontation in Southampton last year.

Finance student Henry Nowak, 18, was on his way home from a night out when he was attacked by stranger Vikrum Digwa, 23, with the eight inch 'Shastar' blade.

Vickrum Digwa, 23, has been found guilty of murdering university student Henry Nowak, who he stabbed to death with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife

Vickrum Digwa fatally stabbed finance student Henry Nowak with a Sikh kirpan ceremonial knife in December 2025

A Sikh man has been convicted of murdering an 18-year-old university student who was stabbed to death while walking home from a night out in Southampton, UK.

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A political dispute has erupted over the legal exemption allowing Sikhs to carry kirpans in public after Reform UK pledged to repeal the protection following a recent murder…

Knife-obsessed Vikrum Digwa, 23, stabbed stranger Henry Nowak, 18, six times with a ceremonial Sikh blade he had been carrying in Southampton city centre last December.

TOI correspondent from London: British-born Sikh Vickrum Singh Digwa was convicted this week of murdering 18-year-old Southampton University student Henry Nowak with a 21cm…

A UK-based Sikh restaurateur has called for a ban on kirpans, arguing that the ceremonial blade is being misused as a weapon against unarmed civilians despite its significance as…

Hampshire Constabulary must release the Henry Nowak footage. pic.twitter.com/iMVyVUtDTD

Knife-obsessed Vickrum Digwa, 23, stabbed stranger Henry Nowak, 18, six times with an eight-inch blade he had been carrying in Southampton city centre last December.

Knife-obsessed Vickrum Digwa, 23, stabbed stranger Henry Nowak, 18, six times with an eight-inch blade he had been carrying in Southampton city centre last December.

Vickrum Digwa told his victim ‘I am a bad man’ moments before stabbing him

Vickrum Digwa who stabbed Henry Nowak five times with his religious knife in the UK has been sentenced for life, concluding a high-octane case that was being followed all across…

Vickrum Digwa had falsely claimed racial abuse, prompting police to handcuff his dying victim, Henry Nowak, who he had stabbed.