Inquiry needed into ‘catastrophic failures’ of Henry Nowak murder, say Sikh group

• The Sikh Federation is calling for a public inquiry into "catastrophic multi-agency failures" surrounding the murder of student Henry Nowak in Southampton by Vickrum Digwa.
• Henry Nowak, 18, was killed in December 2025 by Digwa, who received a life sentence with a minimum of 21 years; prosecutors initially claimed the murder weapon was a ceremonial kirpan.
• Dabinderjit Singh, chief executive of political engagement for the Sikh Federation, has written to government ministers, questioning the preventability of Nowak's death and criticising the IOPC's police investigation.
• The Federation argues that the murder weapon was incorrectly identified as a kirpan, causing "highly damaging" misinformation and facilitating a false characterisation in court.
• Concerns are raised about Digwa being "on the police radar" in 2023 for stealing ceremonial blades, and the inquiry aims to address systemic biases and intelligence failures.

IN FULL

Sikh group demands public inquiry into Henry Nowak’s murder: ‘Catastrophic failures’