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Suspects in Sikh temple attack identified: Austria

VIENNA/CHANDIGARH: The Austrian police identified on Thursday the six suspects in 

Sunday's attack on a Sikh temple in Austria that killed 
one and left 17 injured. 

The six men, all from Punjab or other northern Indian states, had given several names to the police, which made their identification difficult, police spokesman Michael Takacs said. All six were in custody, although one of them, believed to be the mastermind behind the attack, was still in hospital in an induced coma after a shot in the head, he added. 

Two of the men - named only as S Charnjit, 24, from Uttar Pradesh, and S Hardeep, 33 - had come to Austria illegally in 2001 and 2008. The other four were seeking asylum. S Sukhwinder, 28, from Haryana, arrived in 2001, citing a family feud for fleeing India, while S Jaspal, 34, came in 2008 and requested asylum on religious grounds. S Satwinder, 28, from UP, and S Tarsum, 45, from Gujarat, made only vague asylum claims. None of the men were related or had a prior criminal record. 

While Dera Sachkhand Ballan's second-in-command Sant Ramanand had succumbed to injuries on Monday, sect head Sant Niranjan Dass is still in hospital, recovering from bullets injuries in abdomen and hip. 

The Austrian police are also investigating reports that Khalistan Zindabad Force had claimed responsibility for the attack, Takacs said. 

Meanwhile, a 13-member delegation of Punjab politicians has urged the Austrian authorities to release the details of the incident, while ensuring adequate checks on the activities of "anti-India elements". They also sought "exemplary punishment" to the accused, saying they were a "threat to world peace". 

Led by chief parliamentary secretary Avinash Chander, the team handed over the memorandum to Charge `D' Affairs Dr Gerunde Paschinger and Counselor Paul Jenewein in New Delhi, urging them to ensure safe return of Sant Niranajn Dass and early completion of formalities to bring Sant Ramanand's body to India. Seeking an inquiry into inadequate security to the Ravidasia sect leaders despite information about threat perception to them, they also demanded stepping up of diplomatic efforts "to check the activities of anti-India elements in Austria and the rest of Europe". 

Members of the delegation included CPS Des Raj Dhugga, national secretary BJP SC wing Rajesh Bagga and vice-president of Punjab BJP Vijay Sampla. 

Day curfew lifted in Punjab 

Day curfew was lifted in violence-hit regions of Punjab on Thursday, allowing life to return to normal in the five towns - Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Phagwara and parts of Malout - where disturbances broke out following the killing of Dera Sachkhand Ballan leader in Vienna. Neighbouring Haryana, parts of which were also affected by the violence, were also calm and business establishments functioned normally in Ambala, Jagadhri and Naraingarh. (TOI)

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