“I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously.”
— Chandra Arya, Indian-origin MP from the ruling Liberal Party
The Gauri Shankar Mandir was vandalised with “anti-India” graffiti in Canada’s Brampton province, reported IANS. “The attack on 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?” Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya, from the ruling Liberal Party, wrote in a tweet on January 31. “I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously.”
The MP has criticized vandalism at the Hindu temples, as well as desecration of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the country. Arya had marked Canada’s first Hindu Heritage Month in November to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by Hindus to make Canada strong and prosperous. According to him, members of the Hindu community started coming to Canada 100 years ago. Hindus rose from 1.0 per cent to 2.3 per cent — close to 830,000 people — of the total Canadian population from 2001 to 2021 as per a recent Statistics Canada report.
In July 2022, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at a Vishnu Temple in the Richmond Hill neighbourhood of Canada was desecrated
In September 2022, Canada’s BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir was defaced by alleged Khalistani miscreants with anti-India graffiti
India had then issued a strongly-worded statement urging Canadian authorities to properly investigate the “increasing incidents” of hate crime against Indians.
The Indian Consulate General in Toronto, also commented on the vandalism saying that 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”.
Dipika Damerla, an Indo-Canadian politician from Mississauga, also tweeted on January 31: “Saddened that the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was defaced. This on the heels of graffiti on the SwamiNarayan Mandir last September.”
While the matter is under investigation by the Canadian authorities, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said that he had raised his concerns over this hate crime with Peel Regional Police Chief, Nishan Duraiappah.
In July 2022, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at a Vishnu Temple in the Richmond Hill neighbourhood of Canada was desecrated. In September 2022, Canada’s BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir was defaced by alleged Khalistani miscreants with anti-India graffiti. India had then issued a strongly-worded statement urging Canadian authorities to properly investigate the “increasing incidents” of hate crime against Indians.
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