Gunman shoots down 3 Sikhs

The Times of India ^ | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2004 | staff

[archy]

Gunman shoots down 3 Sikhs

PTI[ TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2004 03:37:32 PM ]

WASHINGTON: A Sikh gunman opened fire on a group of elderly men of his community playing cards at a park in San Jose, killing three of them -- before the group turned on the attacker beating him to death, police said.

The 43-year-old attacker walked up to the group of 15 men who were playing cards in the park on Sunday and hurled some abuses in Punjabi before opening fire on them.

Two men died on the spot, and one died at San Jose Medical Center, San Jose Police Spokesman Steve Dixon said, adding that they were aged 46, 65 and 70.

Three others have been hospitalised in Regional Medical Center in San Jose with injuries, Dixon was quoted as saying by the San Francisco Chronicle.

The suspect was dead when police arrived, probably because he was beaten to death, Dixon said, though the cause of death will be determined by an autopsy by the Santa Clara County coroner.

[archy]

*DISARMEDANDEASY*

note use of a new keyword for shootings in schools, airports, courtrooms, nursing homes and other institutions or locales where the victims are prohibited by law from carrying effective weapons with which to defend themselved

*DISARMEDANDEASY*

[archy]

BANG ping

[justshutupandtakeit]

Wonder what this was about. Not something you see every day that is for sure wrt Sikhs. They must not have had their daggers with them.

[Sender]

The suspect was dead when police arrived, probably because he was beaten to death

Sikh sense of humor.

[Captain Rhino]

Note to self: When attempting to shot into a group of 15 Sikhs; 1) bring enough bullets to do the job, 2) go practice at the range, and 3) wear running shoes.

Pardon my poor attempt at humor but I have known Sikhs both in India and here in the USA. If there is one group that: 1) knows what to do when this sort of incident happens, 2) doesn't need permission to do it, and 3) doesn't need guns to carry it out, its the Sikhs. Singh (very common Sikh last name)= Lion (in Punjabi). Big men, excellent soldiers.

[archy]

They must not have had their daggers with them.

Real unlikely, though the *substitute* kirpan daggers some wear wound in their turbans seem an unhandy tool, and probably not practical.

But I expect a similar attack on a similar sized group of Nepalese Gurkhas would have resulted in a shooter in seperate pieces each not much larger than a cat.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Go Gurkas bump.

[swarthyguy]

Last gasp of Khalistan?

Wonder if any charges will be levelled against the crowd?

Great Kukri anime!

[dennisw]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/peninsula/8022769.htm


Men gunned down are Sikh.

[ZULU]

"The suspect was dead when police arrived, probably because he was beaten to death, Dixon said, though the cause of death will be determined by an autopsy by the Santa Clara County coroner."

Justice was done. Justifiable homicide.

Got to hand it to those Sikhs. They can deal with a situation. Its not for no reason each Sikh man has the same last name - Singh - which means "Lion" in their Langauge.

By the way, Sikhs are NOT Muslims, and they provided the British with some of the bravest, most ferocious fighters in their army.

I'd gladly trade ten leftist Americans for one Sikh immigrant.

[archy]

Great Kukri anime!

Nope, that one's more akin to an Indian kirpan sword or dagger, with the primary cutting sharpened edge of the curved blade on the outside of the blade rather than on the inside, as on a khukuri.

Khukuri:

Kirpan:

[archy]

Last gasp of Khalistan?

Maybe. I'm not aware of any significance of today's or yesterday's dates, Indira's *Operation Bluestar* was in June of 1984, and her assassination by a Sikh bodyguard was done in late October of that same year. Unless there are any indicators, I'd just figure the guy decided on his own that yesterday was The Day.

Maybe it was somebody's birthday? Masala!

[small voice in the wilderness]

A Sikh Shoot??

"PULL"

[swarthyguy]

Sardars going postal are quite the staple of Indian humor, the stereotypical hothead rushing to judgement and action based on some misunderstanding of innocuos statements.

Probably a woman and/or family stuff.

That's one of a Kirpan(isn't it:) that lady is holding. WoW!

[swarthyguy]

Men of the Loodiaah (Ludhiana) Sikh Regiment in China, Circa 1860. One of the most profitable exports from East India Company's possession was opium, a drug that was sold to addicts in China. When Chinese attempted action against the agents selling the drugs, the reaction was always the same - violence. Despite the termination of the East India Company's mandate, the British Government continued the trade and the armed aggression against the Chinese. The three conflicts which ensued are called the Opium wars for that reason.

In 1867 Emperor Theodore III of Abyssinia had, after repeatedly abusing British Citizens, got so far up the British Government's nose that they dispatched an Army miles into the interior of what is now Ethiopia to teach him a lesson. These officers of the 27th Bombay Native Infantry (1st Baluchis) formed part of that lesson. Their commander, wearing a turban in the image, was Major H. Beville.

[archy]

I'd gladly trade ten leftist Americans for one Sikh immigrant.

Not me. I want a one-for-one swap, That way we can set them to work making sure the lefties don't slip back in, or continue their mischief for long if they do. Oh, I guess we could sweeten the pot a bit: two-for-one....

They're also serving very nicely now as R.C.M.P. Mounties in Canada, with a bit of an initial squabble over their turbans as headgear replacing the traditional mountie's hat, neatly solved when the R.C.M.P. adopted a new uniform turban for those Sikh members.

\

[archy]

That's one of a Kirpan(isn't it:) that lady is holding. WoW!

Yep. That's a bit beyond what the average village kami blacksmith turns out, but remember that some of those fellas went to war on the backs of elephants.

I can't begin to imagine how to best equip myself for that sort of warfare [lancers?] but I'd expect a heavy kirpan of the sort would be a pretty good starting place.

[swarthyguy]

Ah, Archy, I bet if you were the type to engage in channeling, you might find that your seeming affinity for and serious respect for the people and soldiers of the SubContinent reflects some serious prior incarnations as either a Risaldar or even those British Commanders who earned the trust and devotion of their troops.

Anyway, might be a good line in some of the fleshpots of Mumbai, Delhi and Goa.

[swarthyguy]

Former king of Afghanistan Zahir Shah, who is on a private visit to India, sits with a sword presented to him by Sikh refugees from Afghanistan at a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, February 25, 2004.

[archy]

Ah, Archy, I bet if you were the type to engage in channeling, you might find that your seeming affinity for and serious respect for the people and soldiers of the SubContinent reflects some serious prior incarnations as either a Risaldar or even those British Commanders who earned the trust and devotion of their troops.

Nah, the easy familiarity and feeling of comfort that such a past life fits like a glove isn't there for me, only a sense of wonder and respect for those times, when things of that sort were no easier, but perhaps a bit simpler. And if I'm to so appreciate them, I'd bet it's in my future, rather than my past.

But to serve with such men, even to lead them would be both treat and honour, just as work with other indigenous troops in their own lands has been. And if with such as those victory were to be denied, I cannot think of any better to fall beside, nor of any better with which to celebrate victory and success.

Brigadier Francis Ingall, sometimes called *the last Bengal Lancer* was just establishing the Pakistani Military Academy about the time I was born. I've not yet read his book, but expect it to be quite a treat.

Anyway, might be a good line in some of the fleshpots of Mumbai, Delhi and Goa.

I'd expect the ears in such locales would find thoughts of a transmigrated life more likely than a channelled personality. But perhaps worth a try, if more likely on an Indian Bullet than on a Lancer's black charger. And maybe such a unit should consider the entire world its playground, as the Royal Marines did in those days, or as the Gurkhas have mastered the arts of battle in all the world's climes, not just their own. Aude aliquid dignum!