Partap Singh Bajwa, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Source: File Photo)
CONGRESS RAJYA Sabha member, Partap Singh Bajwa, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take up the issue of vandalising of Sikh Soldier Memorial in Smethwick with the UK government.
In the letter, Bajwa wrote that the statue was unveiled on November 4 but was later vandalised. “It is outrageous , that such a Memorial has been vandalised within less than a week of its unveiling. The message that this sends out to the Sikh diaspora in UK and Sikhs back home is extremely troubling, and their anguish is justified several times over. I urge you to take this matter up with the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom with utmost urgency, as this is a deeply sentimental issue, for reasons that I have mentioned above. Not only should the culprits be brought to justice, but also there should be a concerted effort to spread awareness regarding both, the Sikh contribution in World War I and the blatant attempt at trying to erase the same”, Bajwa wrote.
He also stated that the Memorial was long-overdue in honouring the sacrifices made by Sikh Soldiers during World War I for the British Army.