The Sikh religious leadership on Monday condemned the attack on a gurdwara in Wisconsin in which seven people were killed.
“It is a highly unfortunate incident which has taken place in America leaving six innocent devotees dead. This is a security lapse on the part of U.S. Government,” Giani Gurbachan Singh, the head priest of Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal seat, said here.
He said that the time has come for U.S.-based Sikhs to adopt all kinds of possible security measures in the entry point of gurdwaras by installing close-circuit cameras so that surveillance on suspected elements can be kept.
The Jathedar also said that he has directed the SGPC president to send a special team of Sikhs to the U.S. to investigate the cause of the attack.
He said that prayers will be held across various gurdwaras in India, including the Golden Temple here, for the departed souls.
President Shiromani Gurdwara Pharbandhak Committee (SGPC), Avtar Singh Makkar, “I am leaving for Delhi to meet the U.S. Ambassador and the External Affairs Minister to take up the issue with the U.S. authorities concerned. The cause of this brutal attack on innocent Sikhs must come out so that such incidents could be prevented in future”.
He further said that two SGPC members Surinder Singh and Amarjit Singh Chawla and member of Sikh Student of Federation, Paramjit Singh Khalsa, who were currently on a visit to Canada, have been asked to reach the U.S. to give an account of the incident to the SGPC.
Keywords: U.S. gurdwara shooting, Oak Creek Sikh Temple, Milwaukee County Sheriff Department, Froedtert Hospital, SGPC, Akal Takht
Let us not overreact. They are doing their best.
It is a tragic and sad situation. I pray for those effected by this tragic event. I do not believe it is lapse of security on part of US government. This kind of things, sadly, occur more frequently in US than any other country. Each and every organization, religious or otherwise, must make arraignments for their own security. Today it happened at a Sikh temple, tomorrow it could very well be a Hindu / Buddhist Temple or a Mosque
Heart wrenching incident where innocent sikhs have been massacred. Its
time USA puts end to these hate crimes which are on the rise in recent
months
This was an unfortunate incident but it would be wrong to term it as "a security lapse on the part of US Government" as stated by Giani Gurbachan Singh. Such random acts of violence are difficult to predict and as per the details reported by the media there is little that the US Govt could have done to prevent the same. A few weeks ago, a lone gunman randomly shot and killed/inhured many innocent people in a theater in Colorodo. In the US, thanks to politics, gun laws are very lax and almost anyone can easily purchase guns (including assault rifles etc). But the police and the justice system act quickly in such cases of violence.
As a Sikh in the US I share the sorrow that all Sikhs share at this
shooting.
As to the Akal Takht's pronouncement about this being a "Security
lapse on the part of the Government', I humbly suggest that the Akal
Takht do not know what they are talking about, and they should stick
to religious issues. For their general edification - the government
in the US at Federal, State or Local level does not provide security
to individuals or institutions, unlike in India where there are many
VVIPs with their own security. The US tries to protect and defend
against security risks to the population by identifying threats. You
can bet the FBI and others will examine this case, as they do others
to change what they can to do so more effectively.
There is not lapse in US Security. Government can not secure all the buildings in the nation either in USA or India. People themselves needs to be aware of security.
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