Sunday, 15 June 2008

Pig's head tied to Sikh memorial


A pig's head has been tied to a war memorial put up by the Sikh community in the West Midlands.

The discovery was made at a roundabout close to Stoney Stanton Road, in Coventry, on Wednesday evening.

Navreet Singh, 22, who removed the head before taking it to the police, said whoever had tied it to the memorial was "ignorant" and "mindless".

West Midlands Police said they were aware of the incident and were investigating.

'Absolutely disgusting'

Mr Singh, a Sikh youth co-ordinator for temples across the city, said he became aware of the incident when contacted by a newspaper about it.

He said at first he assumed it would be a pig mask, but his sister went to the roundabout to take a look and confirmed the severed head was real.

"It is absolutely disgusting," he said.

"It's inhuman. This is a war memorial. It's not a Sikh monument, it is a British one.

"It seems like someone was trying to attack Muslims. It is ignorance."

'Very daunting'

The memorial commemorates lives lost in war by members of the Sikh Regiment.

Mr Singh said he had no idea how long the head had been there.

"I can't imagine someone putting it up in broad daylight but then it must have been up for some time before it was reported," he said.

"It was very daunting having to remove it."

A police statement said: "Police were made aware of an incident last night involving a pig's head located on a roundabout near to Stoney Stanton Road.

"Inquiries are ongoing in respect of this issue."