Police are searching for two suspects after a war memorial featuring a Sikh soldier was vandalized in a racially aggravated attack, just days after the monument was unveiled in England.
The words “Sepoys no more” were spray-painted onto a memorial dedicated to South Asian soldiers who fought for Britain in the First World War and other conflicts, the UK Press Association reported.
“Sepoy” is a former military rank that was given to Indian soldiers.
The memorial was shown to the public on November 4 and police have now released security camera images of two men wanted in connection with the crime.
A 10-foot-high statue of a Sikh soldier forms the centerpiece of the memorial, located in Smethwick, near Birmingham in England’s West Midlands region.
The area has a large British Asian population, with 11% of people in the area of Asian descent according to the 2011 UK census.
“Work continues to try to understand the reasons behind what happened and identify whoever is responsible,” Superintendent Martin Hurcomb of Sandwell Police said in a statement.
“Local officers continue to work closely with communities and have increased police presence in the area to provide reassurance and be on hand to answer any questions or concerns that people may have,” Hurcomb added.
The memorial is suited next to the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, which is assisting police with their inquiries, the force said.
In September, vandals in Liverpool painted the word “invaders” on a memorial dedicated to dead refugees and migrants.
And in April a man was detained after spray-painting racist terms onto a war memorial and church buildings in Milton Keynes.
Police have appealed to anyone who has information about the vandalism in Smethwick to contact them.