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Updated: Apr 21, 2015 17:37 IST

US Attorney General Eric Holder has been honoured by the Sikh community in America for his "exemplary service" to them during the "challenging times", especially after the 2012 attack on a Gurdwara in Wisconsin.

64-year-old Holder was presented with a siropa (a robe of honour) and a Sewa Service Award by the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (GGSF) of Rockville, Maryland and National Sikh Centre (NSC) of Washington at a ceremony here yesterday at the Justice Department.

He was also presented with an honorary plaque and a book on Sikhs, a phulkari, a traditional Punjabi embroidered shawl with bright floral craft.

Holder thanked the Sikh community for the honour.

"Felt that there is no one more deserving than Holder, who has contributed tremendously towards the betterment of the Sikhs in the US," said Inder Paul Singh Gadh, Chairman of GGSF board.

"We are very grateful to the Attorney General for his exemplary service to the nation and for his positive role in assuring that all communities, including the Sikh community, are safe during the challenging times especially in the aftermath of the terrible shooting at the Oak Creek Gurdwara," said Rajwant Singh, Secretary GGSF.

The Justice Department has recently started tracking hate crimes against Sikhs. This will produce Sikh-specific data on how many hate crimes Sikhs endure, and the overall kinds of biases people of South Asian descent face.

Last year GGSF had honoured Brian Murphy of Oak Creek Gurdwara who was hit by 15 bullets as he fought with a gunman who shot dead six Sikh worshippers in the Wisconsin Gurdwara in August 2012.