On Sunday, June 24, two unknown assailants killed a Sikh man identified as 32-year-old Manmohan Singh in a targeted attack in Rashidgardhi Bazaar of Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Manmohan Singh owned a cosmetic shop. This was the second targeted attack on Sikhs in two days in the city.
As per reports, a Sikh shopkeeper named Tarlok Singh was targeted on June 23. Unknown men shot him, but he managed to survive. On the other hand, Manmohan Singh died on the spot following the attack. He was survived by his parents, wife, son, and brother.
As per an Indian Express report, a local Sikh community member Balbir Singh said Manmohan was on his way home after closing the shop. Two motorbike-borne assailants followed him after he boarded an auto and shot him on his way home. The incident took place at around 8 PM. “He was on his way home in an auto when the assailants opened fire. He died on the spot,” said Balbir.
He added, “His body is now being taken to Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh, where the Sikh community living in Peshawar will pay their last respects and decide the further course of action on being targeted with impunity.” According to the Sikh organisation United Sikhs, Manmohan was the family’s sole breadwinner.
Another local Sikh told Indian Express that seven bullets were fired at Tarlok Singh, who was attacked on Friday. He sustained an injury on his leg. Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) took responsibility for the attack on Tarlok Singh, as per the local news portal The Khorasan Diary.
In the past couple of years, the Pashtun Sikh community has been living under constant threat. There have been multiple reports of attacks on them. At present, around 300 Sikh families are living around Gurdwara Bhai Joga Singh in Peshawar.
Previous incidents of attacks on Sikh community members
In March 2023, a Sikh man identified as Dayal Singh was shot dead by unknown assailants at his shop in Dir Colony Market. The assailants escaped after killing Dayal Singh. On May 15, 2022, two Sikh men, identified as Ranjit Singh and Kuljit Singh, were shot dead while they were sitting at their shops at Batta Tal Chowk. On September 30, 2021, a Sikh man identified as Satnam Singh was shot dead while he was at his shop in Fariqabad, Peshawar. Besides the recent attack on Tarlok Singh, ISKP also took responsibility for killing Satnam Singh.
