26 May 2009

Riots in India after Vienna killing

7:34 am on 26 May 2009

Two people have died in protests in the Indian state of Punjab, and demonstrators torched vehicles and shops, after a Sikh preacher was killed in an attack on a temple in the Austrian capital Vienna.

Authorities imposed a curfew on parts of Punjab on Monday and troops were deployed to violence-hit areas after people mainly from the Dalit or "untouchable" community protested against the Vienna incident.

One of those killed during the protests was shot by troops when a crowd attacked a village police station. Protesters also blocked state highways.

The riots started in reaction to the news of the attack by six armed men on two preachers visiting a temple in Vienna on Sunday.

Guru Sant Rama Nand, 57, died from bullet wounds after an emergency operation, while the second preacher, Guru Sant Niranjan Dass, 68, was in a stable condition.

Three of the attackers were residents and had previously asked for asylum in Austria, while the identity of the other three was not yet clear, police said.

Austrian police said they did not know yet about the motives for the attack.

About 2,800 Sikhs lived in Austria in 2001, the time of the most recent census.