The Sikh temple on the Lange Molensstraat in the Flemish Brabant town of Vilvoorde will remain closed indefinitely. The Mayor of Vilvoorde announced that the temple will remain closed for the foreseeable future in a press statement released on Friday. The closure follows an incident in mid-December in which one person was injured in a knife attack.
On 15 December last year a dispute between 2 men that were inside the temple ended in violence. One of the two men stabbed the other, injuring his leg. The man required hospital treatment.
The incident led the not-for-profit association that runs the temple to close it to the public. The aim was to take time to restore order and calm. However, the municipal authority in Vilvoorde says that this has not yet been achieved and that there have been other incidents involving those that worship at the temple in the intervening period. The mayor of Vilvoorde Jo De Ro (liberal) has now ordered that the temple will be closed until further notice.
In a statement Mr De Roo said “If the Sikh community is able to demonstrate that its internal conflicts have been resolved and that there is no risk of further incidents linked to the temple, the decision may be revoked”.
“Until then, the temple will only be accessible to the priest that is in charge of worship there. The police will ensure that this measure is implemented”.
The temple has already been closed several times in the past, mainly due to fights between those that worship there. There have also been allegations that it has been used for human trafficking.