Greenwood Sikh temple members say ongoing power struggle led to violent brawl
GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Leaders of a central Indiana Sikh temple say a violent brawl that broke out Sunday afternoon and left at least eight people injured was caused by escalating tensions involving a “small group” of aggressors.
“There’s only about three or four people who start trouble here,” said Rahul Arora, a committee member at the Gurdwara Sikh Temple. “But they bring all their friends and family members [from] out of state or different counties… to come here and start trouble.”
About 50 people can be seen kicking, shoving and punching each other in clips of surveillance video obtained exclusively by 24-Hour News 8. The footage shows one man grabbing what appears to be a water-filled vase and smashing it over another man’s head.
Greenwood police and officers from seven assisting agencies responded to the temple on South Graham Road to find a crowd of more than a hundred but were unable to determine in their initial investigation exactly how many people were involved in the fight or whether weapons had been used.
An ongoing power struggle within temple leadership led to the brawl, according to Arora.
“[The aggressors] didn’t want to come here and pray,” he said. “They didn’t want to come here and do any volunteer service. They want to get this building under their names so they can collect money.”
The group has caused conflict for months during Sunday religious services, Arora claimed.
Temple leaders have reported the individuals to local authorities, he told 24-Hour News 8, adding they most recently shared their concerns with officials mere hours before the fight on Sunday.
“We need protection,” said Rupinder Singh, who has been attending services at Gurdwara for nearly a decade. “We need a little bit of safety because they are coming here every Sunday.”
At least two people injured in the fight sustained stab wounds from ceremonial daggers deep enough to cause bone cracks, according to a temple leader who shared photos of the alleged injuries with 24-Hour News 8; he said at least one man remained hospitalized Tuesday with a cracked shoulder.
No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, officials confirmed Tuesday morning.
“In this county, we don’t rush to judgment,” said Drew Foster, the Johnson County Deputy Prosecutor. “There’s a lot of video to look at. There’s a lot of witnesses to interview.”