AMRITSAR: Indian Sikhs, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, voiced shock and anger on Monday at the killing of worshippers at a Sikh shrine in the US, with some suggesting Muslims may have been the intended target.

“I am deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the shooting incident that has resulted in the loss of precious lives,” said Singh, himself a Sikh.

“That this senseless act of violence should be targeted at a place of religious worship is particularly painful,” Singh told reporters in New Delhi.  “I hope the American authorities would investigate who is behind this dastardly attack on innocent devotees and that they will ensure that such ghastly events do not take place,” Singh said.

“This attack on Sikhs in the US is shameful. People come to the gurudwara (temple) to find peace. It is a holy place,” said Kulwinder Singh. In Amritsar, Giani Gurbachan Singh, head priest at the Akal Takht, Sikhdom's highest seat of religious and temporal authority, urged all Sikhs in the United States to “remain vigilant”.

“This is a security lapse on the part of US government wherein Sikhs have become the victims of violence,” Singh said.—FP