Indian Sikhs may win bid for more autonomy, rights

Sikhs and Hindus clashed again over the weekend India, and Indian Home Minister Prakash Chand Sethi said the government was willing to grant some of the major demands of Sikhs for greater political and religious rights.

Sethi said New Delhi was willing to transfer Chandigarh to Punjab state and to declare Amritsar a Sikh holy city, though it would not have the same status as the Vatican. Chandigarh, in northern India, is currently the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana states. The announcement brought swift opposition from Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal.