Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Satwant Singh Kaleka died a Hero

The President of the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin couldn't do much to fight the man who shot his fellows, but he did what he could:
The president of the temple died defending the house of worship he founded.

Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, managed to find a simple butter knife in the temple and attempted to stab the gunman before being shot twice, his son said Monday.

Amardeep Singh Kaleka said FBI agents hugged him, shook his hand and told him his father was a hero.

"Whatever time he spent in that struggle gave the women time to get cover" in the kitchen, Kaleka said.
Good for him. He tried. And maybe saved some lives.

Scott Bauer and Todd Richmond of the AP have more.

UPDATE: UPI has it slightly differently:
Amardeep Kaleka told WTMJ, CNN affiliate in Milwaukee, that his father, Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, used the ceremonial dagger all Sikhs carry.

"It's an amazing act of heroism, but it's also exactly who he was," Amardeep Kaleka said. "There was no way in God's green Earth that he would allow somebody to come in and do that without trying his best to stop it."
My understanding is that the ceremonial dagger can be a small as an inch overall, at least for boys. They are symbols, and not intended to be actual weapons. If the UPI story is accurate, Mr Kaleka was all the more heroic.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Satwant Singh Kaleka is a hero and a legend! More than that, gentleman, hero, and saint! His son, Amardeep Singh Kaleka is an Emmy Award Winner! Satwant was born in what is know independent India and it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and he is of Punjab origin. Kaleka was cremated per custom.

Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 9:55:00 AM HST  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kaleka is an Indian-American guardian angel! He is the Martin Luther King and Gandhi of Wisconsin!

Saturday, September 15, 2012 at 9:56:00 AM HST  

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