A prominent Hindu temple in Canada’s British Columbia (BC) fell victim to an act of vandalism on Saturday, as anti-India and pro-Khalistan posters were affixed to its front gate and rear wall.
The incident happened in the early hours of Saturday at the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in BC’s Surrey area. Authorities promptly removed the posters upon their discovery later in the morning.
“A Hateful Act: #Khalistanreferendum posters were purposely pasted at the main door of the Hindu Mandir @surreymandir in #Surrey #Canada at midnight to create an atmosphere of fear among Hindus," Sameer Kaushal, News Director of Radio AM600, Richmond, BC, wrote on X.
A Hateful Act: #Khalistanreferendum posters were purposely pasted at the main door of the Hindu Mandir @surreymandir in #Surrey #Canada at midnight to create an atmosphere of fear among Hindus.@surreyps @SurreyRCMP #HindusUnderAttack @mikefarnworthbc @sukhdhaliwal @Dave_Eby pic.twitter.com/oew8IdPDWm— Sameer Kaushal 🇨🇦❤🇮🇳 (@itssamonline) August 12, 2023
One of the posters displayed the word “Wanted" beneath the names and photographs of India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, along with its Consul Generals in Toronto and Vancouver. Another poster, positioned on the rear doors, urged Canadian authorities to probe India’s alleged involvement in the “killing" of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June this year.
This act of vandalism follows a series of similar incidents in Canada. Reposting the video of the shocking incident, Tajinder Singh Sran, the State Secretary of BJP Chandigarh said these Khalistanis are “masters of hate crimes." “They got huge Encouragement in the current regime which allowed them to threaten others in the guise of FoE," Tajinder Sran wrote on X.
Earlier this month, another such poster was placed outside the entrance of the building housing India’s Consulate in Vancouver. These provocative posters were carried by several individuals during a recent religious procession in Surrey.