News In Brief

Indian police arrest women in Sikh temple 'suicide squad'

Police arrested a ''suicide squad'' of 125 elderly Sikh women Monday when they defied a curfew and marched on the Golden Temple in an attempt to force an Army withdrawal from the Sikh's most holy shrine. No violence was reported.

Shortly before the arrests, the Sikhs said, talks among the Army, the government, and Sikh representatives on a troop withdrawal broke down. The Army has occupied the temple since June 5, when troops stormed the shrine to rout armed Sikh extremists.

Rajinder Kaur, president of the women's Akali Dal party, had said the unarmed women were prepared to ''face bullets'' during their march.