Earlier we blogged about the fatal shooting of a Sikh preacher in Vienna, Austria and before that about Walmart opening it’s first store in India. Ironically, we get to talk about both in this story in a cause-effect situation. [WSJ]
India deployed paramilitary troops to the northern state of Punjab Monday to quell riots in several cities sparked by the fatal shooting of a preacher at a Sikh temple in Vienna Sunday.
The violence delayed the scheduled opening Tuesday of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s first Indian store, in Amritsar.
BBC has on the root cause on this story.
The disturbances were triggered by death of preacher Sant Rama Nand during a religious ceremony in Vienna on Sunday.
He was attacked by six men armed with knives and a pistol and succumbed to his wounds in hospital early on Monday.
Another preacher, Sant Nirajnan Dass, who was among 15 other people injured, is said to be stable.
Both the preachers were from a breakaway Sikh sect which has a large following in parts of Punjab and had travelled to Vienna to conduct a special service.
The BBC’s Sanjoy Majumder, in Delhi, says several Sikh groups had apparently opposed his presence and threatened violence.
News of the killings resulted in riots in Punjab, India.
Rioters torched several train carriages and attacked police stations. K.K. Attri, the state director general of police, said there were 86 incidents of violence. The epicenter was the Punjabi city of Jalandhar, the bastion of a Sikh sect called Dera Sach Khand.
“Dera Sach Khand” according to WSJ are considered “untouchables” among Sikhs. I don’t know enough about Sikhism to know all the various sects and sub-sects but do know that unfortunately, in India, casteism was so widespread that it permeated other religions, besides Hinduism. Good to know that casteism is still alive and kicking and still claiming lives. If any of our readers want to shed more light on this topic, please feel free to do so.
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