32 Killed by Sikh Gunmen at Religious Festival in India

Sikh extremists opened fire with automatic rifles on a crowd of villagers celebrating a religious festival in Punjab state, killing at least 32 people and wounding 40 others, police said early today.

The attack was the bloodiest staged by Sikhs fighting for an independent state in northern India since last July, when 66 people were killed in attacks on two buses in neighboring Haryana state. More than 300 people have been slain this year in separatist violence.

Police said the assault took place around midnight Thursday in the village of Kari Sari, near the town of Hoshiarpur, 70 miles east of Amritsar.

The villagers had gathered to celebrate the festival of color, known as Holi, which is observed by both Hindus and Sikhs.

They were watching a religious play when six or seven Sikh extremists entered the festival grounds and began firing on the crowd, police said.

At least 19 people were killed instantly and another 13 died of their wounds later. Police said the dead and injured included both Hindus and Sikhs.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Sikhs, who make up about 2% of India’s 780 million people, charge that they are discriminated against by Hindus who form the majority of the population. Punjab state is predominantly Sikh.

The Punjab police chief, J. F. Ribeiro, rushed to the scene this morning to supervise a massive search by police and paramilitary troops for the killers.

Punjab has been under direct federal rule since Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi dismissed the moderate Sikh state government last year for failing to curb terrorism.