One of the few mass shootings in England in the 20th century, occurring at a school during a Sikh prayer meeting in Southall in 1987.
Key Facts
- Date
- 11 November 1987
- Location
- Dormers Wells High School, Southall, London
- Killed
- 3 people
- Wounded
- 1 person
- Perpetrators
- Rajinder Singh Batth and Mangit Singh Sunder
- Sentences
- Life imprisonment (March 1989)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Rajinder Singh Batth and Mangit Singh Sunder, described as orthodox Sikhs, attended a Sikh prayer meeting at Dormers Wells High School in Southall. Their motive appears to have been directed specifically at preacher Mahraz Darshan Das, whom they targeted first before turning on the broader congregation gathered at the school.
On 11 November 1987, Batth and Sunder opened fire during the Sikh prayer meeting, killing three men and wounding one other. The attack took place inside the school premises in Southall, London. The two perpetrators were subsequently subdued at the scene and received treatment for minor injuries.
Both perpetrators were convicted in March 1989 and sentenced to life imprisonment for murder and manslaughter. They have since been released. The shooting was a rare instance of a mass shooting in England and drew attention to the vulnerability of religious gatherings to targeted violence.