At 1330 hours IST on 15th March, Monday, some Kaurs in the Sikh Sangat Gurudwara in East London spotted an unknown person running down from the top floor.
A few minutes later flames were seen blazing from Babaji's room that houses the Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
Seven Saroops of Guru Granth Sahib Ji were lost to flames. The London Fire Brigade confirmed that 75 per cent of the building and the roof had been damaged and collapsed because of the fire. The building itself may take months to repair but the emotional damage may be very difficult to heal.
The Gurudwara was more than just a place of worship, it was the heart and soul of a community. It is one of London's most important Guurdwara. The building dates back to 1854 and was formerly a synagogue and before that a Church. The building was taken over by the Sikhs in 1979 and converted into a Gurudwara.
As flames leapt and smoke billowed out, Sikh hearts cried at the thought of holy scriptures of Sri Guru Granth Sahib getting burnt inside this most famous of the London gurdwaras. That it was a result of a racist attack only added to the pain of the community and a sense of frustration at a time when Sikhs are struggling to tell the western world who they are, and how their religion preaches universal brotherhood.
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