SIKH PREACHER KILLED IN VIENNA SPARK INDIA's RIOT
TALES FROM TWO CITIES
The attack in Vienna is the first act of violence involving Sikhs in the city
The attack in Vienna is the first act of violence involving Sikhs in the city
VIENNA , Austria:Police Investigators believe a sermon at a Sikh temple set off an attack that saw worshipers use a frying pan and microphone stands to fend off knife and gun-wielding assailants who fatally shot a cleric, police said Monday.
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, 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.
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Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Punjab over Sunday's attack in Austria
JALANDHAR, India:The death of the Sikhs Preacher in Vienna, sparked riots in several northern Indian cities.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Jalandhar on Monday, defying a curfew, and setting a train, vehicles and shops ablaze, authorities said.
Police opened fire to disperse angry crowds, reportedly killing two protesters in separate incidents, the AFP news agency said.
The violence comes a day after Sant Rama Nand, a preacher, was killed when six men firing guns and wielding knives attacked a temple in Vienna, Austria's capital.
The clash involved members of several rival Sikh temples in Vienna who had been feuding for several years, local authorities and witnesses said.
Authorities in Punjab have imposed a curfew on parts of the state, and the army was placed on standby after the protests broke out.
Source: ABC and Al Jazeera
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, 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.
.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Punjab over Sunday's attack in Austria
JALANDHAR, India:The death of the Sikhs Preacher in Vienna, sparked riots in several northern Indian cities.
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Jalandhar on Monday, defying a curfew, and setting a train, vehicles and shops ablaze, authorities said.
Police opened fire to disperse angry crowds, reportedly killing two protesters in separate incidents, the AFP news agency said.
The violence comes a day after Sant Rama Nand, a preacher, was killed when six men firing guns and wielding knives attacked a temple in Vienna, Austria's capital.
The clash involved members of several rival Sikh temples in Vienna who had been feuding for several years, local authorities and witnesses said.
Authorities in Punjab have imposed a curfew on parts of the state, and the army was placed on standby after the protests broke out.
Source: ABC and Al Jazeera
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