The bronze figure on a granite plinth went on display in Victoria Park on Sunday
London: Leicester City in England honoured Sikhs who had fought for Britain in conflicts around the world by unveiling a bronze statue of a Sikh soldier on Sunday, October 30, a PTI report in the Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
The bronze statue on a granite plinth, created by artist Taranjit Singh, went on display in Victoria Park on Sunday, the BBC had reported. It was and paid for with Council funding and donations from Sikh congregations.
Sikhs comprised more than 20 per cent of the British Indian Army at the outbreak of World War I, the report added.
The Sikh Troops War Memorial Committee said it would complement the existing war memorials already there.
“We are so proud to be unveiling this memorial to honour the sacrifice of all those brave men who travelled thousands of miles to fight for a country that wasn’t their own,” Ajmer Singh Basra, president of the Committee, was quoted as saying.
“For many decades, the Sikh community has significantly contributed towards the success of our city”, Piara Singh Clair, from Leicester City Council, said,
“I am very pleased that the idea of a Sikh memorial statue – envisaged by the late councillor Culdipp Singh Bhatti MBE – will be unveiled in Victoria Park”.
“It will provide a fitting tribute alongside other memorials in the park.”
The unveiling took place at De Montfort Hall attended by hundreds of people, including representatives from the armed forces.
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