Heritage Hindu temple defaced with anti-India graffiti in Canada; Sikhs for Justice alleged to be involved

New Delhi: In a spate of attacks on Hindu temples, a prominent Hindu temple has been targeted with anti-India graffiti in Brampton in Canada. The walls of the temples were defaced with hate-filled slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’, causing outrage among the Indian community.

Indian Consulate General in Toronto said the defacing of the temple has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. “We strongly condemn defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton,a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of Indian community in Canada.  We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities,” it tweeted.

We strongly condemn defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton,a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities.

— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) January 30, 2023

“The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities,” the consulate office said in a statement on Tuesday.

The defacing of the Hindu temple in Brampton is not an isolated incident, with at least three other Hindu temples have been vandalised in Canada since July 2022.

Chandan Acharya, a Canadian MP, condemned the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, urging the authorities to tape appropriate action to stop attack on the temples.

"The attack of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton is latest in attacks on Hindu temples in Canada by anti-Hindu and anti-India groups. From hatred on social media, now physical attacks on Hindu temples, what next? I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously," Acharya tweeted.

The attack of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton is latest in attacks on Hindu temples in Canada by anti-Hindu and anti-India groups.
From hatred on social media, now physical attacks on Hindu temples, what next?
I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously.

— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) January 31, 2023

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also raised concerns over the hate crime, saying that the vandalism has no place in the country.

“The @CityBrampton condemns the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir. This hateful act of vandalism has no place in our City or Country. I have raised my concerns over this hate crime with @ChiefNish and @PeelPolice. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place worship," he said in a tweet.

The @CityBrampton condemns the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir. This hateful act of vandalism has no place in our City or Country. I have raised my concerns over this hate crime with @ChiefNish and @PeelPolice. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place worship.

— Patrick Brown (@patrickbrownont) January 30, 2023

Last year, the Ministry of External Affairs had pointed out there has been a sharp rise in "hate crime" and "anti Indian activities" in Canada.

The Canadian authorities have started an investigation into the incident. A banned terror organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and other Khalistani groups are suspected to be involved in the incident.

According to data released by Statistics Canada last year, Canada has experienced a steep rise in hate crimes targeting religion, sexual orientation and race in the last few years.

Canada has witnessed a 72 per cent jump in its hate crime rate between 2019 and 2021, said Statistics Canada.

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