Canada: Temple in Surrey vandalised with anti-India graffiti

A member of the temple management said that the graffiti had since been erased.

This act of vandalism has happened a couple of days before the pro-Khalistanis are supposed to hold a “Khalistan Referendum” on September 10 in Surrey.

The controversial event was scheduled to be held in one of the schools. But the Surrey school district authorities cancelled permission because promotional material for the said event featured an AK-47 machine gun alongside images of the school.

In what is being seen as a retaliation, the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) threatened to “lock down” India’s consulate in Vancouver on Friday (September 8).

India’s high commission in Ottawa had brought attention to this perceived threat to its diplomatic premises to Canada’s foreign ministry officials.

Widespread condemnation

All segments of the community have condemned this latest act of vandalism on a place of worship.

A person representing the temple management said that the Sikh, Hindu, and Muslim communities in Canada had coexisted peacefully for several decades, and they were unified in rejecting such senseless acts.

He said that a place of worship was not a battleground for political groups or ideologies, and that acts of vandalism and hate were not acceptable.

Friends of Canada and India Foundation representative in Surrey, Maninder Singh Gill, also condemned the incident in strong terms, and called it an act of sheer cowardice. He called on people to ensure that peace and harmony prevailed in the community.

Sameer Kaushal, the news director at Radio AM600 in Richmond, British Columbia, condemned the incident on social media, and said that such cowardly attacks were intended to create fear in the community.

There have been two other similar acts of vandalism this year against Hindu temples in Canada which targeted the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Ontario in April and the Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton in January.