‘Pedos out’: Sikh community in England protests over alleged grooming of a teen girl by 34-year-old Afghan man

Nearly 200 Sikh men and women gathered around a council flat in Hounslow, England on Sunday night, where they claimed that a 34-year-old Afghan man was grooming a 16-year-old Sikh girl, according to a report by the Times of India (TOI).

The parents of the schoolgirl contacted a Gurdwara in Slough, requesting help as they were desperately worried about their daughter, who had left home to live with the man. She had been meeting the man since she was 14 or 15 and had allegedly been groomed, the report said, citing protesters.

The report further cited a video posted on Instagram that showed a Sikh man from the group confronting the man on the stairs. "You brainwashed and manipulated her. This isn't Afghanistan, this is England. Why can't you find someone of your own age?" the report quoted the man.

Livemint could not independently verify the report.

A neighbour mentioned she had observed many underage girls entering the Afghan's flat over a nine-year period and also stated that she had reported this to the police multiple times. "There are about four guys in there," the report quoted the neighbour. "It's disgusting." The flat has been raided for drugs and is near a school.

According to the report, people gathered outside shouted "Pedos out". One of the protesters said, "The parents have gone to the police many times and nothing is being done.

Jaspal Singh from the group Shere Panjab is seen in a video knocking at the man's door. Police arrived, eventually took the man away in a van, and the girl returned to her family, who were a part of the demonstration.

“Why is it that Sikhs had to put a stop to this when police couldn't? This is disgraceful. We are doing the police's job. The Sikh community has been dealing with this for many years and we have had enough,” the report quoted Jaspal.

Meanwhile, Sikh Youth UK has started a national inquiry into Sikh victims of grooming gangs.