Ottawa: Khalistani sympathisers vandalised a Hindu temple in Canada’s British Columbia on Saturday and pasted Khalistan referendum posters on the main door of the temple.
The poster, which was fixed at the door also had a photo of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also read “Canada investigates India’s role in June 18th assassination”.
Nijjar, who was the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Canada’s Surrey, had been murdered by two unidentified men on the premises of the gurdwara on June 18 evening. He was the head of the terrorist organisation Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).
The temple which has been vandalised, is Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, in Surrey. It is one of the biggest and oldest Hindu temples in British Columbia.
The incident of the temple attack is the third such case in Canada this year. A prominent Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton was vandalised with anti-India graffiti on January 31. The incident caused outrage among the Indian community.
The Mayor of Brampton, Patrick Brown, had then condemned the incident of writing hate-filled messages directed towards India on the walls of the temple. Another Hindu temple in Canada's Ontario was vandalised with anti-India graffiti in April. The Windsor Police released CCTV footage showing two suspects spray painting on the walls of the Hindu temple.
In July, Khalistani supporters pasted posters across Canada's Toronto blaming Indian diplomats in Canada for Nijjar's killing. The posters were posted by the Khalistani supporters named Indian High Commissioner in Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Mishra and Consul General Apoorva Srivastava for Nijjar's killing. The posters glorified slain Nijjar as a 'martyr' while calling for a 'Kill India' campaign. The Canadian government said it takes the posters seriously with Foreign Minister Miloni Jolly saying that the Canadian government was in contact with the Indian authorities in this regard. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar too said that India would raise the issue with Canada and warned that not curbing such activities would damage bilateral relations.
