TORONTO: The Indian government has formally protested the vandalisation of Toronto’s largest temple on Tuesday night, after it was spraypainted with pro-Khalistan graffiti.
The incident occurred in the late hours between Tuesday and Wednesday and the defacement was discovered in the morning by workers and volunteers at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto.
A senior Indian official told the Hindustan Times that a formal protest note over the vandalisation has been conveyed to Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, by India’s High Commission in Ottawa. The mission has sought an expeditious investigation into the episode and described it as a “hate crime”.
In a tweet on Wednesday night, India’s High Commission in Ottawa said, “We strongly condemn defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto with anti-India graffiti. Have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators.”
The Canadian government also denounced the attack. Canada’s High Commissioner in New Delhi Cameron Mackay tweeted, “I join other Canadians in condemning this act of vandalism at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto. Hate has no place in Canada, and all places of worship should be respected.”
Members of the temple management did not want to comment on the incident. However, they confirmed the front gate of the temple was defaced and spraypainted with the slogan, Khalistan Zindabad. The back entrance was also vandalised. They also said law enforcement was informed after its discovery on Wednesday morning and officers of Toronto Police visited the temple and were looking into it.
{{/usCountry}}Members of the temple management did not want to comment on the incident. However, they confirmed the front gate of the temple was defaced and spraypainted with the slogan, Khalistan Zindabad. The back entrance was also vandalised. They also said law enforcement was informed after its discovery on Wednesday morning and officers of Toronto Police visited the temple and were looking into it.
{{/usCountry}}“Volunteers removed the sign (graffiti) after it was discovered. Police is doing their procedure now,” a volunteer, who did not want to be named, said. However, the perpetrators were unable to gain entry into the premises of the temple and targeted the entrances that face public roads.
However, there are similarities between this episode and that of the vandalisation of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) this July. Similar slogans were sprayed on to the pedestal of the statue and that incursion also occurred in the late hours. As in the current case, a video of that incident was posted on social media by several pro-Pakistan handles.
The Swaminarayan mandir in the Etobicoke area of Toronto is a landmark in the city. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had visited it to mark its 10th anniversary celebrations in July 2017. At that time, addressing a gathering there, he pointed out that as travellers arrive at Canada’s largest airport, Toronto’s Pearson International, among the first landmarks they see is this place of worship.
He had said that the temple, which was constructed without the use of steel, was built “according to principles outlined in ancient Hindu scripture. It is without a doubt one of Canada’s architectural wonders with its intricate stone and wood carvings”.