Victim of 2012 Wisconsin gurdwara shooting in US dies after 8 years
Washington, March 5
Baba Punjab Singh, an elderly man who was injured and paralysed following a shooting at a gurdwara in the US state of Wisconsin in 2012, has died almost eight years after the incident which left him bed-ridden, a media report said.
On August 5, 2012, in one of the worst attacks on the Sikh community in America, a gunman with neo-Nazi ties barged into the gurdwara in Oak Creek, and opened fire, killing six Sikh worshippers and injuring several others, said the American Bazaar report.
Singh was shot and received severe injuries that left him paralysed.
He passed away on Monday after spending seven and a half years bed-ridden, communicating with others with a “yes” or “no” by blinking his eyes.
His son, Raghuvinder Singh, said: “It is with sadness, but also with peace and acceptance, that we confirm the passing of my father, Baba Punjab Singh.
“Baba spent his life serving as a Sikh religious teacher who travelled the country and the world delivering ‘kathas’ – orations that share the lessons and history of the Sikh faith.
“My father’s injuries and his passing, along with the other lives lost that day, are a reminder of the toxic hate that still plagues our country.”
The shooter committed suicide following the attack that received widespread condemnation.
A few days after the shooting, then First Lady Michelle Obama had visited the gurdwara. IANS
1/3 We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Baba Punjab Singh.
For more than seven years, Baba Punjab Singh remained partially paralyzed after being shot in the head during the 2012 Oak Creek shooting, which killed six Sikhs and injured many more. pic.twitter.com/OiCYXj7x06
— Sikh Coalition (@sikh_coalition) March 2, 2020
