New Delhi: The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton, Canada, was vandalised with “hateful graffiti”, adding to a series of attacks that have happened recently on Hindu establishments in the North American nation. The defaced temple wall read: “PM Modi MP (Chandra) Arya Hindu Terrorists are Anti-Canada.”
Indo-Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya took to X to express his concern. “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.”
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.”
In recent times, many Hindu temples have been targeted in Canada, which include the Ram Mandir in Mississauga, Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto, Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, and many more. These attacks are viewed as attacks on the freedom of religion and are perceived as a dangerous trend. The advocacy body also highlighted that the extremists have started to even target ordinary Hindus, telling them to leave Canada.
