Brawl in Austrian Sikh temple spurs India riots
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VIENNA - Investigators believe a sermon at a Sikh temple in Austria set off an attack that saw worshippers use a frying pan and microphone stands to fend off knife- and gun-wielding assailants who fatally shot a cleric.
The death sparked riots in several northern Indian cities.
Witnesses said the Vienna temple attended by lower-caste Sikhs was attacked Sunday by Sikhs from a higher caste who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the religion's Holy Book. "We're assuming that the content of the sermon was the trigger," Werner Autericky, a high-ranking Vienna police official, told the Austria Press Agency Monday, adding that the motive was not definitive.
The attack set off a brawl that wounded 16. Police said they found a 9 mm pistol and several knives at the scene. It was unclear if some were kirpans — ceremonial daggers that may legally be worn by Sikhs in Austria.
Two preachers — identified by Indian diplomats as Sant Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand — underwent operations for gunshot wounds and Nand died around midnight. The two clerics were visiting Vienna from India, police said, adding they had held services in the same temple on numerous occasions over the past few years without any reported problems.
An Indian diplomat familiar with the incident said Niranjan was in stable condition and "cheerful." The diplomat said the two men were leaders of a religious community that follows Guru Ravidas and were traveling through Europe to meet with believers. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The death sparked riots in several northern Indian cities.
Witnesses said the Vienna temple attended by lower-caste Sikhs was attacked Sunday by Sikhs from a higher caste who accused one or both of the preachers of being disrespectful of the religion's Holy Book. "We're assuming that the content of the sermon was the trigger," Werner Autericky, a high-ranking Vienna police official, told the Austria Press Agency Monday, adding that the motive was not definitive.
The attack set off a brawl that wounded 16. Police said they found a 9 mm pistol and several knives at the scene. It was unclear if some were kirpans — ceremonial daggers that may legally be worn by Sikhs in Austria.
Two preachers — identified by Indian diplomats as Sant Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand — underwent operations for gunshot wounds and Nand died around midnight. The two clerics were visiting Vienna from India, police said, adding they had held services in the same temple on numerous occasions over the past few years without any reported problems.
An Indian diplomat familiar with the incident said Niranjan was in stable condition and "cheerful." The diplomat said the two men were leaders of a religious community that follows Guru Ravidas and were traveling through Europe to meet with believers. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
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