Two people of Indian origin were shot dead in Italy. This incident happened late Friday night in Covo city of northern Italy. Vaisakhi program was going to be held here the next day. According to local newspaper La Sicilia, the incident took place outside Mata Sahib Kaur Ji Gurdwara located in an industrial area of Bergamo area. At around 12 o'clock on Friday night, when both the people came out of the Gurudwara, suddenly firing started on them.
The killed people have been identified as Rajinder Singh, 48, and Gurmeet Singh, 48. Rajinder Singh lived in Covo, while Gurmeet Singh was a resident of nearby Agnadello area. The attacker fired several bullets at them and then fled in the car. Police have found about 10 empty cartridges from the spot.
According to the report, this attack was planned in advance. Initial investigation by the police has revealed that this was not a sudden fight, but could have been a target killing done for some specific reason. A witness said that the attacker was also of Indian origin and was a well-known person in the local Sikh community. He used to visit the Gurudwara frequently.
A third person was also slightly injured in this incident, the bullet missed him. This is a big shock for Gurmeet Singh's family, because he is survived by his wife and two children.
This incident happened just before Vaisakhi, which is a very important festival of Sikhism. This festival is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the Khalsa Panth in 1699. On this occasion, a big program was going to be organized in the Gurudwara, in which people from the local administration were also going to participate.
The Mayor of Kovo has expressed grief and surprise at this incident. He says that the Sikh community has been living peacefully here for the last 15 years and such an incident has never happened before. The police is now investigating the matter. CCTV footage is being viewed, witnesses are being questioned and the bullets are being examined. Both the bodies have been sent to Pavia for postmortem.
