Toronto: As Canadian police investigate the firing at a restaurant owned by comedian Kapil Sharma in Surrey, British Columbia, they have said staff were on the premises when the attack occurred though there were no injuries.
Multiple shots were fired at the restaurant, Kap’s Cafe, which recently opened in a popular area on the border of the towns of Surrey and Delta.
Owned by comedian and TV host Kapil Sharma, the cafe was targeted in the early hours of Thursday and Surrey Police Service (SPS) officers reported to the scene at 1:50 am after there were reports of shots fired there. Delta Police Department officers also responded.
In a statement issued, on Thursday, SPS said that “while staff members were still present inside” there were “no injuries to anyone at the business.”
Officers gathered evidence and canvassed the area for witnesses and surveillance video.
SPS’ Frontline Investigative Support or FLIS Team has assumed conduct of the investigation. “This investigation is continuing and connections to other incidents and potential motives are being examined. There is currently no suspect information available to share,” the release stated.
The outlet Vancouver Sun cited SPS spokesperson Staff Sgt Lindsey Houghton as saying that police are aware of reports on Indian media that a Khalistani separatist had claimed responsibility for the shooting.
{{/usCountry}}The outlet Vancouver Sun cited SPS spokesperson Staff Sgt Lindsey Houghton as saying that police are aware of reports on Indian media that a Khalistani separatist had claimed responsibility for the shooting.
{{/usCountry}}That came in the form of an unverified social media post where Harjit Singh Laddi and Toofan Singh, who are associated with the proscribed terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), allegedly claimed responsibility for the attack. In the posts, they claimed an episode of the popular Kapil Sharma Show featured a character who made some humorous remarks about the dress and behaviour of Nihangs, which hurt their religious sentiments. Neither the veracity of the posts nor the claim could be established at this time.
BKI is recognized as a terrorist outfit by the Canadian Government.
Vancouver Sun also quoted a statement from British Columbia’s Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Garry Begg in which he said, “The incident that took place in the early hours in Surrey this morning is frightening and I’m thankful there were no injuries to anyone at this business.”