http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=967364&lang=eng_news
Heavy security for Sikh cleric's funeral in India Associated Press 2009-06-04 02:33 PM A woman cries during a ceremon for killed Sikh preacher Sant Rama Nand at the central cemetery in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. The Sikh preacher died Monday last week after being wounded in an attack on his temple in Vienna, Austria, by a group of fundamentalist Sikhs armed with knives and a handgun, Austrian police said. India's prime minister appealed for calm as riots protesting the deadly shooting spread to several northern Indian cities. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak) Associated Press Police fanned out across parts of northern India on Thursday as tens of thousands of followers began to gather for the funeral of a Sikh cleric who was murdered in Austria last month. At least three people were killed in two days of rioting in and around the city of Jalandhar, in northern Punjab state after the May 24 shooting death of Sant Rama Nand. The cleric of a Sikh sect was attacked by other Sikhs wielding knives and a handgun. Another preacher in Vienna was wounded, along with at least 15 people, Austrian police said. Jalandhar is a stronghold of the Dera Sach Khand, a Sikh sect comprised of mainly "untouchables," or Dalits, who belong to the lowest rung of the Hindu caste system. Witnesses said the attackers were fundamentalist Sikhs from a higher caste, who accused one or both of the preachers _ who were visiting from India _ of being disrespectful to the Holy Book. Investigators believe a sermon at the temple in Austria set off the violence that saw worshippers use a frying pan and microphone stands to fend off the assailants. Six suspects were in custody. Nand's body arrived early Thursday in Ballan village, the sect's headquarters on the outskirts of Jalandhar. The cremation was scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Thousands of police patrolled Jalandhar and nearby towns and villages, the area's Director General of Police K.K. Attri said in a statement. There are several sects or Deras across the northern state of Punjab whose members are mostly Dalits. While there are disagreements between the Deras and mainstream Sikh religious authorities, violent clashes are rare. While officially Sikhism does not recognize caste, the complex system remains deeply rooted in India and divides people into hundreds of groups defined by livelihood, class and ethnicity. Sikhs make up less than 2 percent of India's nearly 1.2 billion people, the vast majority of whom are Hindus.
