NEW DELHI: Sikh leaders and politicians in India mourned on Monday the killings of Sikhs at a temple in the United States, with some suggesting the shooter may have intended to target Muslims.
"This is a terrible incident that has happened ... and I believe this has made all Sikhs very sad," said Avtar Singh, president of the trust that runs Sikhdom's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Speaking to the NDTV news channel, Singh called on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself a Sikh, to "get details of this incident and take action."
A gunman attacked worshippers on Sunday at a suburban Sikh temple in Wisconsin in the midwestern United States, killing at least six people before he was shot dead by police.
According to religious tradition, Sikh Indians wear turbans to cover their uncut hair and sport long beards.
In the United States they have often been mistaken for Muslims and have been targeted by anti-Islam activists, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Leading Sikh politicians in India said the temple shooting in Wisconsin may have been similarly racially motivated.
"I think it is a case of mistaken identity. Sikhs are often mistaken to be from the Middle East," said Manpreet Singh Badal, founder-president of People's Party of Punjab.
"America is a place where you have the occasional loony, the misguided lot, firing randomly at vulnerable people," he told AFP.
"This is an opportunity, although a very sad one, to raise awareness among Americans about the Sikh culture and identity," he said
Manjit Singh, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal Delhi party, said a peaceful gathering would be held later Monday outside the US Embassy in New Delhi as a demonstration of solidarity with the victims.
"Sikhs contribute a lot to America, they are an important part of America," Singh said.
"This is a racially motivated case and the (US) government needs to educate people about different communities so it doesn't happen again," he said.
Both politicians, Badal and Singh, praised the rapid response of the Wisconsin police to the shooting, saying the death toll could have been far higher.
In a statement, the US Embassy in India said it was deeply saddened by the "senseless loss of lives" and praised the American Sikh community estimated to number between 500,000 and 700,000 as one that "meaningfully enhances" the American social fabric.
"The United States takes very seriously the responsibility to respect and protect people of all faiths," the statement said.
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