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India expresses displeasure over temple vandalisation, anti-India posters in Canada
Such posters also appeared in the early hours of Tuesday. Among the temples targeted was the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, which had earlier also been desecrated on August 12
India has expressed displeasure over more temples being vandalised and anti-India posters in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
A prominent temple in the town of Surrey in British Columbia was vandalised on Saturday (August 12) with anti-India and pro-Khalistan posters pasted on its front gate and rear wall.
Such posters also appeared in the early hours of Tuesday. Among the temples targeted was the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, which had earlier also been desecrated on August 12.
This time posters feature the country’s High Commissioner to Ottawa and two union ministers.
While the previous version had India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma and its Consul Generals in Toronto and Vancouver, this time it featured External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and minister of home affairs Amit Shah.
Also Read: Pro-Khalistan elements hold ‘anti-India’ poster campaign in Canada
The latest series of posters, with the word ‘Wanted’, were placed at various locations in the town of Surrey. As with the ‘Kill India’ posters earlier, videos of the posters being placed at various locations were circulated on social media on Monday.
According to videos posted online at various locations in the Metro Vancouver region, the other temples that were targeted were the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, the Sri Venkateshwara Mahavishnu Temple and the Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga temple.
The Hindustan Times confirmed the episode at the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir but could not independently verify those at the other three temples. Videos posted online carried the hashtag #HindusUnderAttack.
A senior Indian official described these posters as “unacceptable” as the targeted “public officials” from India. They appeared just days prior to voting for the so-called Khalistan Referendum in Surrey on September 10, organised by the secessionist outfit Sikhs for Justice or SFJ.
Also Read: Temples in Canada support petition before House of Commons to recognise Hinduphobia
These posters refer to the “assassination” of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18.
Nijjar, the secessionist group SFJ’s principal figure in British Columbia, was murdered in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Singh Gurdwara Sahib he headed in Surrey.
SFJ has blamed India for his “assassination”. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or Investigation Team or IHIT, which is probing the killing, has not ascribed any motive while it seeks the murderers.
