U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top State Department officials are quietly working to calm outrage in India over the attack on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin by an Army veteran who police say is a former white supremacist.
Government officials and Sikh leaders in India were angered by the attack on Sunday that left 6 dead, including 4 Indian nationals, at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee and called on the U.S. to do more to protect Sikhs living in the United States,
Foreign Policy reports.
The gunman, identified as Wade Michael Page, 40, who served in Army between 1992 and 1998 and was last stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., was killed by police.
Clinton called Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna while visiting South Africa on Monday after Krishna criticized the U.S. for failed policies and a growing trend of violent incidents against religious minorities.
“I have seen messages of condolence from President Obama and others,” Krishna said, according to Foreign Policy. “They've emphasized protection of all faiths. The U.S. government will have to take a comprehensive look at this kind of tendency which certainly is not going to bring credit to the United States of America.”
The attack also caused protests in several Indian cities, Foreign Policy reports.
In other diplomatic action, U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell met with Indian government and Sikh community leaders over, pledging a thorough investigation, and visited a Sikh temple in New Delhi to pay her respects.
In Washington, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman spoke with India’s ambassador to Washington, Nirupama Rao, to condemn the attacks and offer condolences.
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.