By Asia Samachar | United States |
Two men were wounded in a shooting incident at a Sacremento gurdwara at the sidelines of a large and peaceful nagar kirtan yesterday (Sunday).
But the thousands of participants of the Sikh procession did not allow the incident to derail their celebration, with even the evening Raheras prayer programme taking place as usual hours after the incident at the Bradshaw Road gurdwara in Sacramento County.
“It puts a small stain on this peaceful, very joyous day,” Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt Amar Gandhi was quoted by the local newspaper Sacremento Bee.
Gandhi said a fistfight had broken out between two men on the gurdwara grounds. One of the men shot a friend of the other combatant. The second man involved in the fight then fired upon the first man and ran off. Gandhi said just after 8:30 p.m. that the man was in custody, according to the report.
In a statement at its Facebook page, the gurdwara said: “The Bradshaw Sikh Society hosted its first Sikh Parade with thousands of congregants from the region. The parade was peaceful and a celebration of faith. It is unfortunate that a few misguided people tried to ruin a cultural and religious event. A shooting occurred at the Gurdwara while the parade was in procession. We hope the culprit(s) is punished to the fullest extent of the law. They were not a part of the parade and showed up after the parade left hours earlier. These displays of violence go against our Sikh faith. We regret any inconvenience and fear this may have caused. We are strong and resilient together.”
In another statement three hours later, it added: “The gurudwara sahib Bradshaw road is open and sangat is welcome to join for Rehras Sahib.”
The gurdwara had organised a huge firework display the night before the nagar kirtan.
ASIA SAMACHAR is an online newspaper for Sikhs / Punjabis in Southeast Asia and beyond. When you leave a comment at the bottom of this article, it takes time to appear as it is moderated by human being. Unless it is offensive or libelous, it should appear. You can also comment at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can reach us via WhatsApp +6017-335-1399 or email: asia.samachar@gmail.com. For obituary announcements, click here.
