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Hindustan Times
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Temple desecrated with pro-Khalistan graffiti in Canada's Surrey
A temple in Canada's Surrey was defaced with pro-Khalistan graffiti at its entrance and the pillars, authorities said. The incident took place on April 19 at the Shree Lakshmi Narayana Mandir in Surrey, the temple said in a statement. 'It is with deep sorrow that we inform the community of a disturbing incident that took place in the early hours of April 19, 2025, at approximately 3 am. Two unidentified individuals vandalised the Shree Lakshmi Narayana Mandir in Surrey by defacing the entrance sign and the temple pillars with the word 'Khalistan', the statement said. Also, the security camera was stolen during this act. 'We strongly condemn this hateful act of vandalism and theft, which is not only a crime but a direct attack on a sacred space that serves as a spiritual and cultural centre for many families, including elderly members and children,' it said. 'An FIR has been registered with the Surrey police, and we are cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigation,' the statement added. ALSO READ | Canada: Hindu temple vandalised in GTA, police hunt two suspects 'We urge members of the public and leaders at all levels of government to join us in condemning this hate crime. Attacks on places of worship have no place in a respectful and diverse society of Canada,' it said. Ottawa Canadian MP from Ottawa Nepean Chandra Arya urged Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada to 'rise with urgency' and demand 'decisive' government action against Khalistani extremists following multiple incidents of defacement of religious sites. Sharing a video of the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce condemning the defacement of Shree Lakshmi Narayana Mandir on microblogging platform X, Arya said that the graffiti on the walls of the temple is 'chilling reminder of growing influence' of Khalistani extremism. 'The attacks on Hindu temples that began several years ago continue unabated... this latest graffiti on the Hindu temple is yet another chilling reminder of the growing influence of Khalistani extremism. Well-organised, well-funded and backed by significant political clout, Khalistani elements are brazenly asserting their dominance and silencing Hindu voices across Canada,' the Indian-origin Canadian MP wrote in his post on X. Referring to another incident where Khalistani graffiti was found at Khalsa Diwan Society (Ross Street Gurdwara) in Vancouver, Arya noted that extremist groups were also targeting Sikh institutions. 'This Khalistani extremists have targeted Khalsa Diwan Society (Ross Street Gurdwara) in Vancouver with pro-Khalistan graffiti and intimidation tactics. In a statement issued after the desecration, KDS said that a small group of Sikh separatists, advocating for Khalistan, defaced our sacred walls with divisive slogans like 'Khalistan zindabad',' he said in the post. 'It is time for the Hindu-Canadians jointly with vast majority of our Sikh-Canadian brothers and sisters to rise with urgency and demand immediate, decisive action from authorities at all levels of government. Silence is no longer an option,' Arya added. With inputs from ANI
Times of Oman
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman says Hindu temple "vandalised" for third time by Khalistanis
British Columbia: Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman has claimed that a Hindu temple in Surrey, British Columbia, was "vandalised" for the third time on Sunday night. In a post on X on Monday, Bordman shared a video from outside the temple, detailing the incident. He claimed that two suspects graffitied the temple walls and stole a security camera around 3 am. "I went to the Lakshmi Mandir in Surrey that was vandalized last night by Khalistanis. This is the 3rd time it has been vandalized. I spoke to management and the devotees and they do not feel like the police or the political establishment cares at all," Bordman wrote in his post. The Canadian journalist described the situation as upsetting for the local Hindu community, who, he said, feel unsupported by both the police and political leaders. "I spoke to the management, and they said that at 3 am, two people came and graffitied the whole place and stole one of the video cameras," Bordman could be heard saying in the video. "The community is upset, and they also don't feel like that political class is going to do anything, and they don't feel like the police are on their side," he added. Bordman also reported another incident of defacement at the Ross Gurudwara in Vancouver. Meanwhile, the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce condemned the alleged vandalism at the Laxmi Narayan Mandir in British Columbia. "We strongly condemn the vandalism of Laxmi Narayan Mandir in BC by Khalistani extremists. This act of #Hinduphobia has no place in Canada. We urge swift action & ask all Canadians to stand united against hate. Silence is not an option.#CHCC #StopHinduphobia," the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a post on X. Earlier on Sunday (local time), Canadian Member of Parliament from Ottawa Nepean, Chandra Arya urged Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada to "rise with urgency" and demand "decisive" government action against Khalistani extremists following multiple incidents of defacement of religious sites. Arya said that the graffiti on the walls of the temple is "chilling reminder" of "growing influence" of Khalistani extremism. "The attacks on Hindu temples that began several years ago continue unabated today -- this latest graffiti on the Hindu temple is yet another chilling reminder of the growing influence of Khalistani extremism. Well-organized, well-funded, and backed by significant political clout, Khalistani elements are brazenly asserting their dominance and successfully silencing Hindu voices across Canada," the Indian-origin Canadian MP wrote in his post on X. Referring to the defacing of the Gurudwara, Arya noted that extremist groups were also targeting Sikh institutions. "This Khalistani extremists have targeted Khalsa Diwan Society (Ross Street Gurdwara) in Vancouver with pro-Khalistan graffiti and intimidation tactics. In a statement issued after the desecration, KDS said that a small group of Sikh separatists, advocating for Khalistan, defaced our sacred walls with divisive slogans like 'Khalistan Zindabad'," he wrote.
