POLICE are treating an incident at the Guru Gobind Singh Gudwara Sikh temple, inBarkerend, as a hate incident.

They are investigating after a Guru Granth Sahib Ji, a Sikh holy book, had been thrown over the locked gates around 10.15pm on Friday evening.　

Officers attended on Monday August 15 and have spoken with members of the Gudwara committee and a hate incident has been recorded. 　

A white rental van was seen in the area, and it is possible that the suspects have used this to try and conceal their identity.　

CCTV enquiries are ongoing to try and find those responsible and police are appealing for any witnesses to come forward.

A spokesman for the Bradford East Patrol Team said: "Clearly this is an extremely distressing incident for the whole congregation and the wider Sikh community and we have recorded a hate incident. I would appeal to anyone who was in and around the area near to the Gudwara between 10pm and 10.20pm on Friday evening, who may have seen or heard anyone acting suspiciously around the entrance to the Gudwara to come forward with any information. I would also appeal to anyone who may have seen a white rental van near to the location around the time of the incident to speak to police. Our inquiries, including examination of CCTV are ongoing."　

Anyone with information is asked to contact PC Mercer at Bradford East via 101, quoting 13160350824. Information can also be passed to the independent anonymous crime fighting charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.