The World - News from March 30, 1986

Gunmen identified as Sikh terrorists killed at least 10 people and wounded 15 as they fired submachine guns from a jeep in three villages near the town of Nakodar in Punjab state in northern India, police said. Most of the victims were Hindus. The slayings raised to at least 77 the death toll in 15 days of Sikh-Hindu violence in Punjab, where members of both faiths have become increasingly polarized as militant Sikhs demand greater autonomy for Punjab. The majority of India is Hindu, but Sikhs form a slight majority in Punjab. The wave of attacks has put pressure on the government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to impose direct rule on the state.