- Tuesday, May 06, 2025
A witness said the Khalistan sympathiser Gurpreet Singh, wearing a black turban, which also covered his face, took out a knife and stabbed two persons amid chaos.
By: Shubham Ghosh
AN Indian identified as Gurpeet Singh has been accused by the police of double stabbing at an event to mark the country’s 77th Independence Day earlier this week in western London.
The incident happened on Tuesday (15) when members of the Indian diaspora were celebrating the Independence Day event in The Broadway, Southall, when some alleged Khalistan supporters arrived and reportedly started abusing them.
Singh was produced at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on Thursday (17) and remanded in custody to appear at Isleworth Crown Court next month, police said.
Khalistani Gurpreet Singh charged with double stabbing during Indian Independence celebration. 25-year-old Gurpreet Singh, from Belmont Road, Ilford, was charged with serious offences of two counts of stabbing.
An Indian passport holder named Gurpreet Singh has been charged by… pic.twitter.com/UsYz5y3tQJ
— JIX5A (@JIX5A) August 18, 2023
Another man in the 20s was also arrested but released on bail, it was told.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to The Australia Today, five Khalistani goons started abusing India and Hindus. He added that when they responded with slogans such as “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” (Hail Motherland India),
“Vande Mataram” (I salute you mother) and “Jai Sri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram), one of the Khalistani supporters started beating up one of them.
A video of the incident also went viral on social media.
The witness said it was amid the chaos that Singh, an alleged Khalistan sympathiser wearing a black turban, which also covered his face, took out a knife and stabbed two persons.
He added that a woman police officer, who was standing next to Singh, chased him after the stabbing.
London Met Police told the media that they were informed by a person that an altercation had taken place at the spot, The Australia Today report added.
They added that the two injured — both men in their 30s — were taken to hospital where their injuries were found to be not life threatening. They were later discharged. The woman officer also received a cut in her hand but did not require hospital treatment.
According to The Australia Today, Singh, 25, was charged with serious offences including two counts of stabbing. The man reportedly belongs to Belmont Road in Ilford.
Sean Lynch, superintendent of police responsible for neighbourhood policing in Ealing, said he agreed that the incident caused an “enormous concern” both in Southall and among the Sikh communities around London and elsewhere, the news outlet reported.
He said investigation was continuing and urged people to avoid adding to speculation.
Anti-India activities carried out by pro-Khalistan groups in a number of western nations including the UK, US, Canada and Australia have caused a major concern in recent times. The Indian government has repeatedly urged those nations to rein in such activities but it has been little successful as of now.
In March, pro-Khalistan supporters targeted the Indian high commission in London and pulled down the Indian Tricolour, leading to stern reaction from New Delhi.
