LONDON, UK—The prime minister said it was a “tremendous honour” after being recognised at the annual Sikh Awards.
David Cameron received the special recognition award on Saturday for his work with the Sikh community in India.
In February, Mr Cameron became the first serving UK prime minister to pay his respects at the Golden Temple at Amritsar, the holiest site in Sikhism.
Two other Britons were recognised at the awards celebrating the achievements of the global Sikh community.
Earlier this year, the prime minister visited India to lay a wreath at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Punjab, the scene of one of the bloodiest massacres in British history.
Past prime ministers have expressed their regret at the hundreds killed in 1919, but Mr Cameron became the first to pay his respects in person.
In a pre-recorded message at the London ceremony, he said: “It is a tremendous honour to receive this award and I’d like to say a big thank you for the privilege.
“These awards are all about highlighting the very best of the Sikh faith both here in Britain and abroad, and I want to congratulate all those who are being recognised for their contribution.”
Artist Jatinder Singh Durhailay, 25, from Ilford, east London, received the people’s choice award after his work was exhibited around the world, including at the Tate Modern and at the National Army Museum in London.
Harminder Singh Dua, chairman and professor of ophthalmology at the University Hospital Nottingham, won the award for professions.
