Biden, US lawmakers remember Oak Creek gurdwara shootout

Washington, August 6

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and several lawmakers on Thursday joined the Sikh community to remember the victims of the 2012 tragic Oak Creek gurdwara shootout, urging the people to reduce gun violence and give hate no safe harbour.

On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist opened firing inside the Oak Creek gurdwara in Winconsin, killing six people.

A Sikh priest, who received injuries in the shootout that left him paralysed, passed away in March this year.

“Eight years ago, a white supremacist targeted a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, WI — ultimately taking seven lives in an unspeakable act of terror,” Biden, the former vice president, said in a statement.

“To truly honour those we lost, it’s up to all of us to stand up to bigotry in our lives, give hate no safe harbour, and reduce gun violence,” Biden said as several US lawmakers joined the Sikh community in remembering the victims on the 8th anniversary of the attack.

The six victims killed included one woman: Paramjit Kaur, 41; and five men: Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, the founder of the gurdwara; Prakash Singh, 39; Sita Singh, 41; Ranjit Singh, 49; and Suveg Singh Khattra, 84. All of the male victims wore turbans as part of their Sikh faith.

“Eight years ago today a white supremacist walked into a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, WI, fatally shooting 6 people. We just honoured El Paso and next week is the anniversary of Charlottesville. How much longer will the rising threat of white supremacy go virtually unaddressed?” Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris said in a tweet.

Congresswoman Judy Chu said, “eight years after the horrific murder of six Sikh Americans in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, we continue to remember the lives that were needlessly lost due to white supremacy and gun violence”.  

“Today, as our nation continues to grapple with systemic racism and inequality, it is more important than ever that we recommit ourselves to rejecting hate and intolerance in all forms. Whether it is a gurdwara in Oak Creek, a church in Charleston, a synagogue in Pittsburgh, or a Walmart in El Paso, an attack on any racial or religious community is an attack on us all. These acts of domestic terrorism do not reflect our values as a nation, and we must denounce violence and hatred wherever they arise,” she said.

Congresswoman Grace Meng said that this reminds of the everlasting impact of that day, as Sikh priest Baba Punjab Singh who passed away in March, rightly ruled a homicide due to his paralysing injuries from the Oak Creek shooting. PTI

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