Four members of Sikh family shot dead in US
Washington: Four members of a Sikh family, including three women, have been fatally shot in their home in the US, authorities said.
The victims who died of gunshot wounds in their home in a suburban Ohio community were found by another relative who called the police, West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog said.
"My wife and three other family members were on the ground and bleeding... they're bleeding from the head," a man said on the 911 call that was released by the police.
"No one's talking, no one's talking," he shouted. A local religious leader on Monday identified the deceased to Cincinnati Enquirer as Hakikat Singh Panag, 59, his wife, Paramjit Kaur, 62, their daughter, Shalinder Kaur, 39, and his sister-in-law, Amarjit Kaur, 58.
The were all shot to death around 9:50 p.m (local time) on Sunday, the report said. A coroner said all four deaths were homicides and they died from "gunshots."
At least one of them was preparing food when they died. By the time police arrived at the Lakefront at West Chester apartment complex, the unattended dish was on fire, police said.
Herzog said all four victims lived in the apartment where the shooting occurred. Children also live there, he said, but they were not there at the time of the attack. The Indian consulate in New York said it was in close communication with police.
"Our condolences to the bereaved family. We are in constant touch with the Police and family. We are confident about the culprit being brought to book," the Indian consulate in New York tweeted.
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, Externa Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted Tuesday that she was aware of the crime and did not believe it to be a hate crime. According to her tweets, one of the murder victims was an Indian resident in the US on a visit. Members of a Gurdwara at Guru Nanak Society of Greater Cincinnati, said the four family members had worshipped there.
A motive behind the slayings remains unclear, and there were no indications if it was hate crime, the report said. No suspect has been identified. Such violent crime is rare in the township of some 62,000 people roughly 323 kilometers north of Cincinnati. Herzog reassured residents Monday that he did not think there was a threat to the community and that the killings appear "isolated".
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Efforts on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna back to India: Home Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Friday said efforts are on to bring Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, who is facing charges of sexual abuse against women, back to India.
He also asserted that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case was functioning efficiently.
The 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda, is facing charges of multiple instances of sexually abusing women.
The scandal has raised a political storm with the ruling Congress and BJP-JD(S) engaged in a slugfest.
Prajwal reportedly left for Germany on April 27 and is still at large.
He was BJP-JD(S) alliance's candidate from Hassan Lok Sabha segment, which went to polls in the first phase on April 26.
"Procedures are on, until we secure him, bring him back here and take action in accordance with law, they will continue. We will neither slow it nor stop it," Parameshwara told reporters on questions about the Interpol's Blue Corner Notice that was issued against Prajwal.
On BJP alleging that the government was "responsible" for Prajwal's "escape" from the country, the Minister said, "They will say it, they have to say such things. They cannot say the government is doing a good job. But we have a responsibility as a government. Such incidents cannot be taken lightly. We will do our job."
Accusing the Congress government of trying to tarnish the reputation of Deve Gowda's family instead of ensuring justice to victims of alleged sex videos scandal case involving Prajwal, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy had recently alleged that every bit of information on the investigation is being sent to a Congress MLA of Mandya district, but not the Home Minister.
Reacting to this, Parameshwara said: "Kumaraswamy is also well aware, several things we cannot bring to the public domain, because the investigation is on. Who will brief the Mandya MLA? Making such allegations is easy. We all have responsibility and we are functioning with responsibility, and we are not under any compulsions."
"I want to tell him (Kumaraswamy) that SIT is working efficiently, and whatever they have to brief me or the Chief Minister, they will brief. Let there be no doubts about it," he said.
