Diwali for Hindoos in Canada this time around has turned out to be an occasion for alarm and violence and not celebration following an attack by a violent group of men, carrying flags of pro-Khalistani groups, on devotees at the Hindoo Sabha Mandir on Gore Road in Brampton 3 November. The vandalism and vendetta are part of a long campaign by Khalistanis to browbeat the Indian community in Canada. The latest attack adds to a series of such incidents in recent years. Earlier, a Hindoo temple in Windsor suffered defacement with anti-India graffiti. Previous incidents in Mississauga and Brampton saw temples similarly targeted, drawing strong reactions from the Indian community in Canada. Last year in December, gunshots were fired at the residence of the son of Satish Kumar, the president of Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.
While Khalistanis have been targeting Hindoo temples in Canada for the past few years, the attack on the temple in Brampton is seen as one on a consular camp Indian diplomats had held in collaboration with the temple to provide consular services to senior citizens. Such camps have been routinely held by the Indian High Commission in temples and gurudwaras. It seems the whole incident was orchestrated to send the message to the Indian foreign service establishment that the ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries would degenerate into a communal backlash on Canadian soil. This is the most ominous ramification of the conflict and shows that the actions by the Indian Government are making the Hindoo community, in a sense, helpless and open to attacks abroad.
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Indian diplomats in Canada have been dragged into a controversy following the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in Vancouver for which Canadian Government has blamed Indian agents. The demands by the Indian side to provide evidence have been ignored so far, as claimed by India. The killing and the resultant diplomatic hostilities between the two countries have apparently emboldened the fringe Khalistani group in Canada to carry out its anti-India propaganda. The Indian response, restricted to a persistent denial of any involvement of its consular staff, has left much to be desired. Such handling of the issue and tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats seems to have given courage to Khalistanis such as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, belonging to the organisation, Sikhs for Justice, to warn Hindoos against celebrating Diwali, threatening disruptions at temples. Pannun, who appears to have the backing of forces both in the US and Canada, recently said that he had been working in close association with Prime Minister Trudeau for the past few years. He had earlier warned of attacks on India’s airlines too.
Pannun has been raising the pitch of anti-India propaganda for the past few months making targeted statements against Canadian Hindoos. Last year, he released a video, demanding Hindoos in Canada “go back to India.” The video came in response to Canadian MP Arya Chandra condemning the vandalism of the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton and other acts of hate and violence by Khalistan supporters in Canada.
The protest by the Coalition of Hindoos of North America (CoHNA) against the latest temple attack reflects a growing sense of vulnerability among Canadian Hindoos. This is an expected fallout of the conflict between the two governments. It is understood that some Indian politicians wish to behave as cowboys and get famous by supposedly killing or maiming anti nationals across the oceans and want to take credit for being responsible for those deeds. Their actions are putting the Indian community to great stress in those countries.
It is time the governments of the two countries rise above their narrow, immediate and petty political interests and concentrate on their trade and diplomatic relations rather than bickering before things spin out of control. This would help both the countries and the people, especially the Indian diaspora in Canada.
