Officials worry after second temple shooting

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Officials worry after second temple shooting

By Jeff Mitchell

Giani Avtar Singh, congregant of Guru Nanak Sikh Temple on Rockville Road, stands near the bullet-damaged sign. (Photo by Christine Baker)

ROCKVILLE -- An atmosphere of fear invaded the normally peaceful confines of a local Sikh temple after bullets - for the second time in 14 days - slammed into a large, lit driveway sign, temple officials said Monday.

Sometime early Sunday morning, the sign at the entrance to the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple at 2948 Rockville Road was shot at several times, with bullets punching holes through the plastic and steel structure and the light fixtures above it, temple founder Paul Randhawa said.

The sign was also targeted May 29 and while Randhawa reported that incident to Solano County Sheriff's deputies, he wrote it off as the work of vandals.

"When it happened again over the weekend, I really started to worry," Randhawa said. "I started to think that maybe this wasn't the work of some young teenager trying to show off. I started to think this was a hate crime."

Sheriff Gary R. Stanton said the agency was investigating the incidents but as of Monday had not drawn any conclusions. He added that the hundreds of road signs are knocked down or shot at in the county every year.

"However, we are troubled that this has happened twice in such a short amount of time. We hope to know more shortly," Stanton said late Monday.

If Solano investigators determine

the shootings are the work of hate mongers, the county would call for assistance of specialized investigators from state Department of Justice and the FBI.

One congregant, Har Simrat Kaur, said she is worried about the safety of her fellow Sikhs.

"Given what's happening in the world today, it is probably someone out there who has confused us for those who support change through violence," she said. "Of course, nothing could be further from the truth."

Randhawa, a local businessman and former Fairfield City Council candidate, said that since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Sikhs are unfortunately often the target of hate crimes because they are confused with being militant Muslims, whose men also wear long beards and turbans.

Some 700 to 800 Sikhs call Solano County home. Many of them attend the Rockville Road temple, Randhawa said.

Reach Jeff Mitchell at 427-6977 or jmitchell@dailyrepublic.net.

[Bhullar]

:wub: I hope this gets investigated. In arizona and now there. I guess those are 2 very RACIST places.

Thanks for nuez

[smartsingh24]

Where's Rockville?

[atl singh]

rockvilles in maryland.....

hahahaa bhullar jee u think maryland and arizonas racist.. come to georgia man ... this is where SLAVERY was... i question myself why we live here and then i remember that my dad has a job. but uther than that thats the only reason i would stay here. REDNECK YA'LL. people are so racist here i cant go down to south georgia and step in a gas station... unless i want someone to cus me off or get a .44 pump action shotgun on my head.. its so bad here that black people get cussed off here too. this place sucks

[smartsingh24]

U gotta move on up to NJ where it's nice and safe

[singhp]

There is a Rockville in Maryland but the Gurudwara Saahib there is the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. I was there last week.

The incident mentioned in this thread refers to a Gurudwara Saahib in California.

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

SinghP

[singhp]

Fairfield Sikh Temple

2948 Rockville Rd

Fairfield, CA 94533

(707) 428-9859

[Deep Singh]

Don't you guys have Ak-47s in Amrikka B), man with one of those there would be no racists

[DhadiMania]

why shoot at the house of god?

why isnt the media portraying this? if a sikh shot a church this would be a worldwide thing (obviously we'd never do such a thing).

[Bhullar]

hahahaa bhullar jee u think maryland and arizonas racist.. come to georgia man ... this is where SLAVERY was... i question myself why we live here and then i remember that my dad has a job. but uther than that thats the only reason i would stay here. REDNECK YA'LL. people are so racist here i cant go down to south georgia and step in a gas station... unless i want someone to cus me off or get a .44 pump action shotgun on my head.. its so bad here that black people get cussed off here too. this place sucks

Lol yeah i know . i have lived in New york 13 years but moved. Nice there. We had a lot of mix.

why shoot at the house of god?

why isnt the media portraying this? if a sikh shot a church this would be a worldwide thing (obviously we'd never do such a thing).

Again, another reason i say we mass contact media companies

Don't you guys have Ak-47s in Amrikka , man with one of those there would be no racists

l

ol where do you live veerji? Oh and its not amrikka its a -man -rika, seeing to how men rule this nation and women really still hold no good political pos. Ah well. I dont think vilence is the anwser,lol.