Sikh man shot dead in Afghanistan

Sardar Rawail Singh was abducted from his house by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area

A Sikh man was abducted from his home and gunned down by suspected militants in Afghanistan's restive Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, a media report said on Sunday.

Sardar Rawail Singh, who lived in Jalalabad, was abducted from his house on Saturday morning by militants wearing military fatigues and killed in Khalis Famil area.

The incident triggered a massive protest by the minority Sikh community who staged a demonstration by placing the body of Singh in front of the provincial governor's house in Jalalabad and demanded the arrest of the killers.

They accused security forces of negligence in arresting the killers and asked the government to bring to justice the killers as soon as possible.

Later, deputy governor Mohammad Hanif Gardiwal met the protesting Sikhs and pacified them. He said a case has been filed and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

The insurgents abducted Singh from his home at about 7:20 a.m. (local time) yesterday and gunned him down at Khalis Famil area, provincial governor's spokesman Attaullah Khogyani was quoted as saying by Pajhwok Afghan News.

Rawinder, one of the protesters, said Singh had a dispute with his neighbour on Friday.

Next morning, the neighbour came along with some gunmen and abducted Singh from his home before killing him, he said, adding that Singh had invited his friends for a party at his home when his neighbour objected.

Darbhajan, a friend of Singh, said the minority community's "homes are being occupied, we are threatened and our friend was mercilessly killed but no one came to our help".