6 Killed, 55 Injured in Clashes Between Sikhs, Police in Delhi

NEW DELHI — Hundreds of Sikhs and security police engaged in a gun battle at a Sikh temple Friday after a truck driven by a young Sikh plowed into a group of paramilitary police. Three officers and three Sikhs were killed.

At least 30 people were wounded and 35 arrested, police said.

At another Sikh temple in Old Delhi, Sikhs and Hindus clashed and police fired guns to disperse the rioters. Authorities said 25 people were wounded and 105 Hindu militants arrested.

The fighting occurred as Sikhs marked a religious holiday honoring one of their martyrs. On Monday and Tuesday, Hindus and Sikhs clashed over the slaying of 24 Hindus by Sikh militants in Punjab state.

The army was put on alert in New Delhi and curfews were imposed around the capital’s two main Sikh shrines, the downtown Bangla Sahib temple near Parliament and the Sisganj temple in Old Delhi.

Barricaded in Temple

At least 300 Sikhs remained barricaded inside the sprawling Bangla Sahib temple where Sikhs and security forces fought for five hours.

Police said a truck driven by a Sikh ran into members of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force who had been deployed at the temple to prevent sectarian violence.

Authorities said the driver apparently intended to hit the soldiers, but witnesses said security forces attacked the truck after the driver tried to move his vehicle.

Witnesses said a riot ensued. Hundreds of soldiers and Sikhs, some of them stationed inside the temple, engaged in a gun battle. Rioters hurled stones and burned cars. Police retaliated by clubbing people and firing tear gas.

Three soldiers were killed. Police said the three died after being hit by the truck, but hospital officials said two of them were shot to death and only one died of injuries suffered after being run over by the truck.

Beaten to Death

Police said three Sikhs were killed. Authorities said one of the victims was killed by members of the paramilitary force. Hospital officials said a second victim was beaten to death and the third died of stab wounds.

Police said the man beaten to death was the truck driver. Authorities said soldiers set fire to the truck and beat the driver and his Hindu assistant.

“They (the soldiers) went into a rage and they went for the people in the truck,” said a senior police official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The soldiers were then ordered to withdraw, police said.

A witness, Surjit Singh, said at least seven people had been struck by bullets fired by soldiers.