Gurdwara in Vancouver desecrated with anti-India, pro-Khalistan graffiti

Toronto : A historic gurdwara in Canada’s Vancouver was desecrated with pro-Khalistan graffiti in the early hours on Saturday and its management placed the blame for the vandalisation on “extremist forces.”

The Khalsa Diwan Society or KDS gurdwara in Vancouver, better known as the Ross Street gurdwara, was spraypainted with pro-Khalistan and anti-India graffiti.

In a statement issued after the desecration, the KDS said: “A small group of Sikh separatists, advocating for Khalistan, defaced our sacred walls with divisive slogans like ‘Khalistan Zindabad’.”

It said it “mourns a painful moment in our community’s history as we gather to celebrate Khalsa Sajna Diwas — a day that symbolises the strength, unity, and resilience of Sikhs.”

The incident occurred between midnight and 3am on Saturday, as a group of unidentified men arrived in a truck and then spraypainted the slogans on the gates and outer walls of the gurdwara, Joginder Sunner, KDS’ recording secretary told the Hindustan Times. He said Vancouver Police were investigating the outrage.

“This act is part of an ongoing campaign by extremist forces that seek to instil fear and division within the Canadian Sikh community,” the KDS management said in its release.

“These extremists are undermining the dreams and sacrifices of our elders, who worked tirelessly to create a strong, thriving community in a country that celebrates diversity and freedom. Their actions seek to divide us, contrary to the unity and peace we hold dear as Canadians. We cannot-and will not let these forces of division succeed,” it added.

The gurdwara, established in 1906, had organised the Baisakhi parade or ‘nagar kirtan’ last weekend and prohibited pro-Khalistan groups from participating in the event.

The Ross Street gurdwara was not the only house of worship targeted on Saturday. The Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, also in British Columbia, was also defaced with similar graffiti after the episode in Vancouver.

Temple spokesperson Parshotam Goel said their “assessment” was that these incidents were linked as along with the Ross Street gurdwara, the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir was at the forefront of an effort to forge unity between the Sikh and Hindu community in Canada.

“This is not a coincidence, this was done in a planned way. Somebody is trying to intimidate us,” he said. He said local law enforcement had been informed about the desecration of the temple.

In December last year, a group of representatives from nearly 60 Sikh and Hindu groups, including gurdwaras and mandirs had met at the Ross Street gurdwara and announced the formation of a unity organisation to prevent division between the communities.

“We call on all Canadians, Sikhs, and people of goodwill to stand together in the face of this extremism. We must denounce these acts and reaffirm our shared commitment to the values of peace, unity, and respect,” KDS said in its statement on Saturday.

In 2023 and 2024, nearly 20 temples across Canada were desecrated in a similar manner and police have yet to identify the perpetrators or announce arrests in this connection. The Lakshmi Narayan Mandir was among those that were targeted.