London—In light of the recent riots in London and now spreading to cities across the UK, there have been some minor incidents reported at few of the Gurdwara across the UK, The Sikh Council UK is putting out this document for the Gurdwaras in order to provide some basic guidelines in order to preserve the sanctity of the Gurdwara Sahib, safety and well being of the community as well as the Sevadars of the Gurdwaras.
The Sikh Council and the wider Sikh community wholly condemns this totally unnecessary and unwarranted violence which is no more than vandalism, profiteering and opportunistic by the few but is bring misery and heartaches to thousands across the country. The Sikh council is fully supportive and grateful to our police force for dealing with this extreme situation with fortitude and bravery.
Basic steps to ensure Safety & Sanctity:
- Remain vigilant, especially in the evening, close & lock doors and where shutters are installed, please use them
- Sangat Members should refrain from wearing Jewellery while out on the street for their own personal safety
- Empty the Golaks and deposit the money in Banks on a daily basis in order to minimise temptation and loss – put in safe if you have one.
- Contact the local police and ensure that the Gurdwara is registered with them so any public warnings are notified to the Gurdwara in time and safety measures can be put in place
- Ensure emergency procedures are written in Punjabi & English and trained sevadars are at hand to help
- If the Gurdwaras have Gianis resident at the premises, ensure that they are aware of the emergency procedure services and they should be provided with:
- a written document in Punjabi in how to contact emergency services
- Contact numbers of the sevadars –who are close to the Gurdwara Sahib and can be contacted immediately (mobiles are not switched off)
- Evacuation procedure and safe keeping of Guru Granth Sahib Ji
- It would be advisable to have sevadars also stay at the Gurdwara overnight, especially in affected areas, like London
- Local Sangat to remain vigilant and keep an eye in the evening, report any incidence to the police or Gurdwara representatives.
- As a long term and future policy, register and train the Gurdwara sevadars in handling emergencies and community safety – SC UK is working with Sikhs in England, who provide this training to roll out to all Gurdwaras
- Ensure that the Gurdwara is registered to report & record on the national incident register and is a member of the IAG (Independent Advisory Group) to the police in your area- contact Sikhs in England for further information (www.sikhs.org.uk).
On behalf of Sikh Council UK
