Riots broke out in northern India Monday following the killing of a Sikh preacher at a temple in Austria.
Crowds in northern Punjab state torched railway cars and defied curfews around the city of Jalandhar.
Police say two men were killed in separate incidents after security
forces opened fire to disperse angry mobs. Several people were injured
in the mayhem.
The protesters were demonstrating against the death of Sant Rama Nand,
who was shot dead while visiting a temple in Vienna on Sunday by rival
Sikhs from a higher caste.
Sixteen other people, including another visiting preacher, were wounded
in the Austrian capital when the rival Sikhs attacked worshipers with
knives and at least one gun.
Police say the rival Sikhs apparently were incensed when the temple
awarded a high religious honor to one of the visiting preachers.
Austrian authorities say a rival Sikh temple had threatened violence if the preacher proceeded with the planned visit.
A police spokesman said six suspects are in custody, including four of those wounded.
India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself a Sikh, said he was deeply distressed by the attack and subsequent violence.
He issued an appeal for calm, saying, "Whatever the provocation, it is
important to maintain peace and harmony among different sections of the
people."
Caste discrimination has been outlawed in India, but elements of the system still exist.