The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SIKH
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
I
K
H
More clues leading to the result SIKH
- On the phone, try to get hold of someone in India?
- Hong Kong is backing chap with conviction from one authority
- Hong Kong's about to arrest one Punjabi?
- Kim leaves Himalayan state hospital a religious adherent
- Reportedly look for religious disciple
- Reportedly try religious adherent
- Follow sound of one reciting the five Banis, perhaps
- Bearded Asian with head wound?
- Asian to look for, by the sound of it
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a religious adherent" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a religious adherent = sikh.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.