In the town of Surrey, located in British Columbia, a well-known temple experienced an act of vandalism on Saturday. The incident involved the placement of anti-India and pro-Khalistan posters on both the front gate and the rear wall of the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir. These posters were affixed during the early hours of the morning but were promptly removed upon discovery later that day.

Satish Kumar, the temple’s president, expressed his deep shock at the desecration that had taken place. He conveyed that he had never anticipated such an event occurring. Interestingly, this temple had been included in the schedule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Canada in the spring of 2015.

Kumar reported that the matter was brought to the attention of the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Surveillance footage captured two individuals, masked, who were responsible for the incident. He noted that the temple had already been in contact with the police due to security concerns, especially in light of the upcoming Independence Day celebrations on August 20. An emergency meeting of the temple board has been scheduled for Sunday to address the incident. Maninder Gill, the president of the Friends of Canada and India Foundation based in Surrey, condemned the act on behalf of the organization.

One of the posters attached to the front gate featured the word Wanted along with the names and pictures of India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, as well as its Consul Generals in Toronto and Vancouver. The second poster, affixed to the rear doors, urged Canada to investigate India’s involvement in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18. Similar posters have emerged across Surrey in recent days, including outside the entrance to the building housing India’s Consulate in Vancouver on August 1, and also being displayed by several individuals at a religious parade in Surrey the previous Sunday.

These series of posters have made reference to the killing of Nijjar, a significant figure in the secessionist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in British Columbia. Nijjar was murdered in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Singh Gurdwara Sahib he led in Surrey on June 18. The SFJ has accused India of orchestrating his assassination. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), responsible for investigating the murder, has yet to attribute a motive as they continue their search for the culprits.

The post Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Canada’s British Columbia vandalised appeared first on APN News.