Two Sikh Indian men shot dead in US grocery store robbery attempt

Two Indian-Americans running a grocery store in the US state of Indiana have been reportedly shot dead by two masked assailants during a robbery attempt.

The killing of 55-year-old Jagtar Singh Bhatti and 20-year-old Pawan Preet Singh, originally from Punjab, has sent shock waves among the Sikh community in the country.

According to reports, the two masked men shot and killed store owner Singh and his employee Preet at Middlebury Street in the northern Indiana city of Elkhart on Thursday.

Another store employee Bill Sinclair, said that he was in the store's kitchen when he heard a noise like the pop of a firecracker and two girls standing outside told him about the men in masks ran from the store after killing the Singh and Preet, the Link reports.

North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) executive director Satnam Singh Chahal condemned the attack and said that due to the growing killings, the Sikh community is living under the shadow of fear and insecurity.

NAPA in a statement urged the US government to leave no stone unturned to take all necessary measures to protect the lives and property of NRIs.