Gurdwara shooting: Visiting India Sikh guru dies of wounds

An Indian Sikh Guru, one of the two visiting preachers shot during a violent clash between two groups of the community at a Gurdwara in Vienna, died early on Monday, as police said the incident for which six persons were nabbed was a "planned attack".

Sant Rama Anand, 57, the leader of Dera Sachkhand Ballan, was among the 16 people injured during an attack on the Sikh temple by members of a rival group armed with knives and pistol on Sunday afternoon.

He succumbed to wounds early this morning, an official of the Indian Embassy in Vienna said. Post-mortem will be conducted on the body after which it will be flown to India.

"The doctor was initially satisfied with the condition of the injured (Sant) after an emergency operation. However, he lost consciousness," a police spokesperson said. He died of a wound in his temple, according to officials.

The other preacher, 66-year-old Sant Niranjan Das was stated to be serious but stable.

Police spokesman Michael Takacs said "the attack had clearly been planned" that and a full investigation is on.

"Every effort is being made to bring those responsible for the incident to justice," Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Peter Launsky said. He said it was "very unfortunate" that the incident took place in Vienna which is "known for being a place of dialogue and peace."

Takacs said the six persons who opposed a particular sermon had launched the attack. "One drew a firearm, the others knives. The six people were overpowered by members of the community and seriously injured," he said.

The six are also lodged in hospital. The condition of four of the attackers was serious, while the other two were stable and were questioned by the police. Two of the wounded attackers were shot in the head, officials said.

The attack has sparked off widespread riots in parts of northern India, where the followers of Sant Rama Nand, associate head of the Jalandhar-based Dera, took to the streets to protest the killing of the preacher.

Austrian police did not rule out the possibility of more arrests. "investigations are continuing to find out if the six attackers were acting alone or under orders," the spokesman said. The six were Indian nationals living in Austria for some time, police said. There are about 3,000 Sikhs in Austria.

The 'Sant' was preaching to about 200 disciples at a Gurdwara in Vienna-Rudolfsheim when the clash took place. Takacs said the scene was "like a battlefield". Police today revised the number of injured from about 30 to 16.

The Gurdwara, run by devotees of Guru Ravidas, was opened in December 2005.

In India, two persons were killed and several injured as violence triggered by the killing engulfed Punjab and parts of Haryana where protestors set afire train coaches, buses and clashed with police. Curfew was imposed in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur following largescale violence and army was called in in Jalandhar.