BAPS Temple In Canada Vandalized

EDMONTON, (IANS) – A BAPS temple in Alberta’s capital Edmonton was vandalized on July 23. This incident adds to the series of attacks that have happened recently on Hindu establishments in Canada.

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver said in a post, “We condemn the defacing of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in #Edmonton with anti-India graffiti. We have requested the Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators.”

There has been no reaction as yet from the Bochasanwasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha.

Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya expressed his concern over BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir that was defaced. He tweeted, “During the last few years, Hindu temples in Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia, and other places in Canada are being vandalized with hateful graffiti.”

Drawing attention to the extremist elements instigating such incidents, the Liberal MP, known for his advocacy on multicultural issues, highlighted that “Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice last year publicly called for Hindus to go back to India. Khalistan supporters publicly celebrated in Brampton and Vancouver the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, brandishing images of deadly weapons.”

“As I have always been saying, Khalistani extremists seem to get away with ease with their public rhetoric of hate and violence,” he asserted, adding: “Again, let me put it on record. Hindu-Canadians are legitimately concerned.”

With a picture of the defaced temple wall, he concluded his post by urging: “Like a broken record, I again call on Canadian law enforcement agencies to take this issue seriously before these rhetorics get translated into physical action against Hindu Canadians.”

Last year in November, the Canada-India Foundation, an advocacy body, had asked politicians in the country to break their silence and rein in radicals before it got too late.

In recent times, vandalized Hindu temples include Ram Mandir in Mississauga, Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto, and Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.