Click to play videoLondon: On most days doors of a prominent gurudwara in East London remain open to worshippers and visitors. But all that is left of the gurudwara after an alleged arson attack on Monday is debris, charred walls, some floral tributes and a community in shock.
“Some people don’t have hearts. Whoever has done this has hurt our hearts more than this building,” President of Guru Sikh Sangat Jaswant Singh said.
At 1330 hours IST on Monday, it was business as usual for women at the Sikh Sangat Gurudwara in East London when they spotted an unknown person running down from the top floor.
A few minutes later flames were seen blazing from the room that houses the holy book of the Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib. All but one of its eight holy books have been destroyed. However, no casualties or injuries have been reported.
“The culprit ran out. By the time I ran upstairs everything was on fire,” an eyewitness Parminder Kaur said.
The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
The gurudwara officials say it was an act of arson and a racist attack. This isn't the first time the gurudwara has been attacked. A few days ago racist graffiti was noticed on one of its outer walls. And the history of the gurudwara explains it all. The 1854 building was formerly a synagogue and before that a chapel.
But this was more than just a place of worship, it was the heart and soul of a community.
The building itself may take months to repair but the emotional damage may be very difficult to heal.
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