A Hindu temple in Canada's British Columbia has been allegedly vandalised on Saturday, with pro-Khalistan posters pasted on the temple's gate. This is the fourth such instance where a temple has been vandalised in Canada this year.
The gate outside Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, British Columbia was allegedly desecrated with posters of the Khalistan referendum. The poster carried a photo of slain extremist Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and came with the caption: "Canada. Investigate India's role in 18th June assassination."
Nijjar, the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force, was shot dead by two masked gunmen last month outside a Gurudwara in Surrey on June 18.
The Khalistan Tiger Force is an extremist organisation involved in the Khalistan movement since the Punjab insurgency.
The incident from Saturday was initially reported by NDTV, which in turn quoted The Australia Today's post on 'X' (formerly Twitter), which read: "Another Hindu temple vandalised in Canada by #Khalistan extremists – bogus Khalistanreferendum posters put at the door of @surreymandir to create fear among the Indian community."
It also shared a video that shows two masked men erecting the posters and fleeing the spot.
The video has gone viral on social media platforms.
Notably, Nijjar's killing has riled up his fellow pro-Khalistani sympathisers and has further worsened the community's decades-long fractured ties with the Indian government.
Nijjar's supporters have stated that the separatist leader had always been a target due to his activism for a separate Khalistan state and had linked Indian elements to his murder.
India, however, has called these accusations "unfounded."
In July, the BBC had reported that Najjar had planned for an illegal referendum in September on the question of an independent Sikh state as part of a global vote-shoring process aimed at consolidating support for the formation of Khalistan.
The Khalistan movement is outlawed in India and has been considered a threat to national security, while mainstream national parties and political parties in Punjab have denounced the calls for separatism and the violence associated with it.
Notably, Saturday's incident is the fourth such attack on Hindu temples in Canada involving Khalistani extremists this year.
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Ontario's Windsor city had been defaced with 'anti-India' graffiti on April 5, while a Ram Mandir in Mississauga had been desecrated with 'anti-India' messages on February 15.
The Gauri Shankar Mandir in Ontario's Brampton had been defaced with 'anti-India' graffiti on January 31.