Canadian MP Chandra Arya called on Canadian authorities to intervene and take action.
Ottawa:
Indian-born Canadian MP Chandra Arya on Monday shared an alleged video of pro-Khalistani supporters in Surrey claiming they wanted to cause unrest at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir there.
Along with the video he shared on social media platform X, Canadian MP Arya also called on Canadian authorities to take action and intervene.
He wrote: “According to some reports, Khalistan supporters verbally abused a Sikh family outside a Sikh gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia last week. Now it looks like the same Khalistan group wants to cause trouble at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.”
“All this is happening in the name of freedom of speech and expression. Like a broken record, I once again call on the Canadian authorities to step in and take action,” he added.
Stressing that Hindu temples continue to be targeted in recent years, Arya said: “Hindu temples have been attacked many times in recent years. Hate crimes are being committed against Hindu Canadians.”
“It is unacceptable to allow these things to continue to happen openly and publicly,” he said.
According to some reports, Khalistan supporters insulted a Sikh family last week outside a Sikh gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
Now it looks like the same Khalistan group wants to stir up trouble at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.
All of this is done in the name of… https://t.co/szTznICBo0— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) November 20, 2023
In August this year, a Hindu temple in Canada was vandalized by extremist elements displaying Khalistan referendum posters.
The poster on the temple gate referred to and also showed a picture of Khalistan Tiger Force chief and designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June this year.
This is not the first such attack on a Hindu temple in Canada; Several such incidents were committed by Khalistani extremists. This year itself, several incidents were registered.
In April this year, the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Windsor, Ontario, Canada was vandalized by anti-India graffiti.
In early February, the Ram Mandir in Mississauga, Canada, was vandalized with anti-India graffiti. The Consulate General of India in Toronto condemned the defacement of the mandir and called on Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take immediate action against the perpetrators.
In January, a Hindu temple in Brampton was defaced with anti-India graffiti, sparking outrage in the Indian community.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto condemned the vandalism at the Gauri Shankar Mandir and said the act had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada.
Meanwhile, relations between India and Canada have deteriorated after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed during a debate in the Canadian Parliament that his country’s national security officials had reason to believe that “agents of the Indian government” had carried out the killing of Canadian citizen Nijjar, who also served as president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
However, India had flatly rejected the claims, terming them “absurd” and “motivated”. Notably, Canada has not yet provided public evidence to support the claim of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder.
Nijjar, considered a terrorist in India, was shot dead on June 18 outside a gurdwara in a parking lot in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
Notably, India had suspended its visa services until “further notice” in September due to a diplomatic standoff with Canada. However, last month, India decided to resume visa services in Canada for four categories, following a thoughtful review of the security situation that “takes into account some recent Canadian actions in this regard.”
Entry visa, business visa, medical visa and conference visa are four categories for which India has decided to resume visa services in Canada with effect from October 26.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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