Sikh preacher dies in temple attack
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VIENNA - Sikhs wielding knives and a handgun attacked two preachers at a rival temple in Vienna yesterday in a brawl that left one preacher dead and at least 15 other victims wounded, police said.
Witnesses said a group of bearded and turbaned men attacked the religious leaders at the temple in Austria's capital as their followers moved to defend them.
The preachers were identified by Indian diplomats and police as Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand. Both were initially described as in satisfactory condition after operations for gunshot wounds. But a police official who declined to identify himself on the telephone, in line with Austrian custom, said early today that the condition of Nand, 57 subsequently worsened and he died shortly after midnight.
Mohnder Ram, a worshiper who said he attended services at the temple every Sunday, said it is run by followers of Shri Guru Ravidas, a 14th-century founder of a Sikh sect called Dera Sach Khand.
