In 1984 the Indian Army invaded the Sikhs' holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Soon after, Sikh gunmen assassinated Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister, and thousands of Sikhs died in the riots that followed her death.

The violence has had a traumatic effect on many Sikhs living in Britain. It has provoked some of them into a political and religious crusade for an independent Sikh homeland: they say they are trying to revive Sikh culture and religion. Others strongly disagree. This bitter conflict has led to costly court actions and even to fights inside temples. A number of prominent British Sikhs have been shot. Rosemary Hartill investigates what lies behind these divisions, and asks what the turban and the sword mean to Sikhs in Britain today.