A report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the Bloom Review has identified the presence of a small but vocal minority of pro-Khalistan extremists among the British Sikh community. The report highlights the need for the UK government to engage with faith groups in England and to have a more nuanced understanding of the ‘subversive and sectarian activity’ within the Sikh community.
According to the report, some pro-Khalistan Sikh groups aim to increase their influence by lobbying political bodies under the guise of human rights activism, presenting a false appearance of legitimacy. The report notes that some groups use various aliases to subvert the British political order, a tactic historically used by white supremacist and Islamist terrorist groups.
While the report acknowledges that the subversive and discriminatory activities of these groups do not reflect the true nature of the majority of British Sikh communities, it emphasizes that these activities have adversely affected these communities, making it crucial for the government to take steps to define and deal with such harmful extremism.
The report draws on over 21,000 responses to a call for evidence and makes 22 recommendations to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities on how engagement can be improved. It suggests that Lord Singh of Wimbledon, a prominent Sikh in public life, was deliberately ill-treated by certain individuals and organizations who sought to prevent him from expressing views contrary to theirs on Sikh issues.
The report also suggests that there may be some overlap of membership between certain Sikh groups operating in the UK and proscribed groups. It recommends that the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs take note of these findings and that parliamentary authorities take steps to prevent the unwitting hosting of individuals and organizations linked to bullying, harassment, and subversive behaviour.
The report’s key recommendation is that the British government should clearly define and investigate extremist activity and identify where this exists within the Sikh community. It also suggests that steps should be taken to develop a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of subversive and sectarian Sikh extremist activity. The report emphasizes that the government must ensure that unacceptable and extremist behaviours are not inadvertently legitimized by government or parliamentary engagement.
Given that earlier this year, Khalistani elements vandalised the Indian High Commission in the UK, the Bloom Review is significant, and it highlights the need for the UK government to take steps to address harmful extremism within the British Sikh community. The UK government had assured the safety of the Indian mission after the incident.
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