- Monday, February 24, 2025
‘All these are being done in the name of freedom of speech and expression. Like a broken record, I am again asking Canadian authorities to step in and take action’, Chandra Arya said.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN-BORN Canadian member of parliament Chandra Arya on Monday (20) shared a purported video of pro-Khalistan supporters in Surrey in Canada claiming they want to create trouble at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir there.
Along with the video that he shared on social media platform X, Arya urged the Canadian authorities to take action and step in.
He wrote, “Last week, Khalistan supporters verbally abused a Sikh family outside a Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, BC, according to some reports. Now it appears the same Khalistan group wants to create trouble at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.”
“All these are being done in the name of freedom of speech and expression. Like a broken record, I am again asking Canadian authorities to step in and take action,” the 60-year-old Liberal parliamentarian, who was born in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, added.
Last week Khalistan supporters verbally abused a Sikh family outside a Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey BC according to some reports.
Now it appears the same Khalistan group want to create trouble at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.
All these are being done in the name of… https://t.co/szTznICBo0— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) November 20, 2023
Underscoring that Hindu temples have remained targets for attacks over the past years, Arya said, “Hindu temples have been attacked many times during the last couple of years. Hate crimes are being committed against Hindu-Canadians.”
“Allowing these things to continue to be done openly and publicly is not acceptable,” he said.
A Hindu temple was vandalised in Canada by extremist elements with Khalistan referendum posters in August this year.
The poster on the temple gate referred to and also had the picture of Khalistan Tiger Force chief and designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in Surrey in June this year. A major diplomatic row erupted between India and Canada after prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi’s role in the assassination outside a gurdwara.
India outrightly rejected the claims, terming them “absurd” and “motivated”. Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Nijjar. Apart from expelling diplomats by either side, India also temporarily suspended issuing visas to Canadians.
However, last month, India decided to resume visa services in Canada for four categories (entry visa, business visa, medical visa and conference visa) after a considered review of the security situation, which “takes into account some recent Canadian measures in this regard”.
This is not the first such attack on a Hindu temple in Canada; multiple such incidents have been carried out by Khalistan extremists. Several incidents were also recorded this year itself.
In April this year, BAPS Swaminarayan temple was vandalised with anti-India graffiti in Windsor, in Canada’s Ontario.
In February, the Ram Mandir in Canada’s Mississauga was vandalised with anti-India graffiti. The Consulate General of India in Toronto condemned the defacing of the mandir and requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators.
In January, a Hindu temple in Brampton was defaced with anti-India graffiti, triggering outrage among the Indian community.
The Indian consulate general in Toronto condemned the vandalism at the Gauri Shankar Mandir, stating that the act has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada.
(With ANI inputs)
