Brampton: A case of writing anti-India slogans on the walls of a famous Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton city has come to light, causing deep resentment among the Indian community living in Canada.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto condemned the vandalism at the famous Gauri Shankar temple in Brampton and the incident in which anti-India slogans were written on the walls of the temple and issued a statement saying that “the vandalisation of the temple has hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada”.
He said, “We have expressed our concern over such incidents to Canadian government officials.”
Canadian authorities are currently investigating the incident. This is not the first incident of attack on a Hindu temple in Canada, earlier in July last year, many such cases were reported in Canada.
The Ministry of External Affairs had also issued a statement in September last year expressing its displeasure over the incidents and said that hate crimes against Indians and anti-India activities in Canada have increased. India had asked the Canadian government to properly investigate these incidents.
According to a report by Canada’s National Statistics Office, hate crimes based on religion, gender identity and race increased by 72 percent between 2019 and 2021 in Canada.
This has created an atmosphere of fear among the minorities. Especially the Indian community is having a greater impact on it. Indian-origin people make up about four per cent of Canada’s population and are the fastest growing group in Canada.
Recently, there have been a spike in incidents of attacks on the Indian community in Canada by Pro-Khalistan supporters, which have been raised by the Indian authorities with the Canadian government.
Not only in Canada but also in Australia, there were incidents of vandalism of three Hindu temples and writing anti-India slogans on their walls. People associated with the Khalistani organization Sikhs for Justice are reportedly carrying out anti-India activities in Britain, Germany and the US.