Four worshippers have been cleared of assault following a brawl in a Huddersfield Sikh temple.

The fight broke out following prayers at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Prospect Street, Springwood, on February 2.

It is alleged that a worshipper objected to a speech being made by temple president Inderpal Randhawa and got up to interrupt him.

Other men supporting Mr Randhawa intervened and a fight broke out in which it was alleged that some elderly female members of the congregation were pushed to the floor.

Amrik Singh, 46, of Robsons Drive in Dalton, and Kewal Singh, 73, of Bankfield Park Avenue in Taylor Hill, were before Kirklees Magistrates Court along with Gurprit Johal, 24, and Harjinder Johal, 51, both of Savile Drive in Halifax.

All were accused of common assault.

A trial, which began on Tuesday, was due to last seven days but the prosecution dropped its case after the four agreed to be bound over to keep the peace for two years.

Defending Arshad Ali said the four were respectable members of the Sikh community.

Mr Ali said: “None of them want to bring the temple into disrepute. Clearly there have been tensions but my clients do not want the continuation of those tensions within their temple.”

Acquitting the four men District Judge Michael Fanning said: “It is accepted there was a disorder in the temple on February 2 and to varying degrees as well as others you were involved in that, but for your part you have accepted to be bound over to keep the peace.”

Mr Fanning added: “I hope the unhappy events touched upon in these proceedings are not going to be repeated.”

A protest ordering Mr Randhawa to resign took place outside the temple a week after the brawl.

The protestors wanted a temple committee to investigate the fight and punish those responsible.

The temple committee had accused a ‘minority’ of ‘deliberately disrupting religious services, misrepresenting facts and spreading malicious gossip’.