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Canada: India urges strict action after temple defaced in Toronto
In the fourth such incident within the last eight months, yet another Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area was desecrated, with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti spray-painted on its back wall in the early hours of Tuesday
Toronto: In the fourth such incident within the last eight months, yet another Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was desecrated, with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti spray-painted on its back wall in the early hours of Tuesday.
The target of the vandalism was the Shri Ram Mandir in the town of Mississauga in the GTA. The slogans spray-painted included those attacking India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and describing the founder of the separatist Khalistan movement, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, as a “martyr”.
Reacting to the act, Pandit Roop Nauth Sharma, president of the temple, said he was “disgusted” and the perpetrators seemed to have become even more bold. He believed there was a “clear attempt to sow disharmony” by showing such “distasteful feelings for Hindus.”
A statement from the temple on social media said, “We at the Ram Mandir are very disturbed by this occurrence and we are working with the appropriate law enforcement authority on this matter.”
Concerns over this incident have been raised by India’s High Commission in Ottawa with Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry.
India’s consulate in Toronto tweeted, “We strongly condemn the defacing of Ram Mandir in Mississauga with anti-India graffiti. We have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators.”
Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly condemned the incident in a tweet on Wednesday morning. She said, “The repeated vandalism of Hindu temples in Canada must stop. No one, no matter their faith or ethnicity, should live in fear or intimidation - especially at a place of worship. My thoughts are with those at Ram Mandir temple in Mississauga and Hindu communities everywhere.”
Mississauga’s mayor Bonnie Crombie tweeted she was “angered by the hateful and divisive graffiti” defacing the temple. “These blatant attacks are not reflective of our City and region’s diversity and will not be tolerated.”
The defacement came to light on Tuesday morning as a devotee spotted the graffiti and informed a priest. A temple official said a team of the Peel Regional Police came to the temple and have started their investigation.
Community organisations expressed their outrage over the incident with The National Alliance of Indo-Canadians denouncing the vandalisation. In a statement, Canadian Hindus for Harmony said, “These attacks by anti-Hindu extremists have caused significant damage to these places of worship, which has deeply impacted the Hindu community. This has resulted in fear, anxiety and a sense of insecurity among our community members.”
On January 30, the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was similarly desecrated. Prior to that, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, located at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill, was defaced in July last year. The 20-foot tall bronze statue was situated in the temple’s Peace Park. Weeks later, in September, an episode of such vandalisation occurred at the front entrance to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto.
None of these incidents have so far resulted in any arrests. While they have been linked by some to the so-called Punjab Referendum being organized by the secessionist group, Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, Canadian law enforcement has yet to establish that alleged connection.
Pandit Sharma said Canadian authorities “need to rectify” this situation.
