LONDON: The incident occurred around 2:20 pm local time on Sunday during prayer time at the Sikh community centre when an altercation broke out between two groups present at the site, the Wesel district police said in a press release.

"Four people sustained minor injuries, including one who suffered a cut," police said in the release issued on Sunday, adding that arrests have been made.

"Because witnesses reported hearing gunshots, special forces were called in. A police helicopter was also deployed for a time,” the release said.

The police, however, have not confirmed the exact cause of the altercation or the nature of the reported gunshots.

Investigations by the criminal police and the public prosecutor's office are ongoing, the release added.

According to German public broadcaster Tagesschau, the confrontation is believed to have stemmed from internal disputes within members of the Sikh community.

German news portal NRZ reported that the clash broke out between members of the Sikh community during a festival at the gurdwara, triggering a heavy police response.

Eyewitnesses told the publication that multiple police vehicles, ambulances and officers, including dog units, rushed to the scene, while a special operations unit entered the building.

“Several people ran out of the building, some of them barefoot,” a resident was quoted as saying by the news portal.

Members of the Sikh community alleged that shots were fired inside the temple and that some individuals were attacked with knives and pepper spray. However, one resident said no gunshots were heard.