Canadian journalist alleges that Lakshmi Narayana temple in Surrey, British Columbia was vandalised
British Columbia: According to Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman, the Lakshmi Narayan temple in Surrey, British Columbia, was vandalized for the third time on Sunday night. He claims that security equipment was taken from the location and that pro-Khalistan graffiti was painted on the building’s walls.
Bordman, who went to the location, spoke about what he witnessed and expressed disapproval of the way things were handled.
When I arrived, I saw that the damage had already been cleaned up, that some of the glasses were still shattered, and that films recorded early in the morning claimed that Khalistan was responsible. You observed a lot of graffiti from Khalistan. I had conversations with some of the executives and devotees. They said that vandals also seized the security camera, which infuriated a number of devotees. I’m not sure why they chose to just erase the graffiti before the police arrived. In a video uploaded to X, Bordman said, “That wasn’t the only temple that was vandalized last night; Khalistanis also vandalized a Gurdwara in Vancouver.”
“I visited the Lakshmi Mandir in Surrey that was vandalized by Khalistanis last night,” Bordman said in a follow-up post. It has been vandalized three times already. According to the management and followers I talked with, neither the police nor the political elite seem to give a damn.
Around three in the morning, he said, two people took a surveillance camera and wrote graffiti on the temple walls. Locals questioned if the correct processes were followed after the temple administration purportedly cleaned the graffiti before police could evaluate the area.
Canadian MP Chandra Arya also responded strongly to the event, calling on the Sikh and Hindu communities to act immediately to combat what he called an increase of Khalistani fanaticism. “The attacks on Hindu temples that began several years ago continue unabated today — this latest graffiti on the Hindu temple is yet another chilling reminder of the growing influence of Khalistani extremism,” Arya posted on X.
Additionally, Arya mentioned damage at the Sikh Gurudwara in Vancouver when she said, “These Khalistani extremists have targeted Khalsa Diwan Society (Ross Street Gurdwara) in Vancouver with pro-Khalistan graffiti and intimidation tactics.”
“It is imperative that the great majority of our Sikh-Canadian brothers and sisters, together with Hindu-Canadians, take urgent action and demand prompt, decisive action from all levels of government. “There’s no more room for silence,” he continued.
The Vancouver Police Department is now looking into the damage to the Khalsa Diwan Society (KDS) gurdwara, also referred to as the Ross Street gurdwara, according to Canadian media sources.
In a press statement, the Khalsa Diwan Society denounced the April 19 incident and said it was a purposeful effort to sow discord and terror in the community. It claimed that a small number of radicals are undermining the aspirations and sacrifices made by our elders, who toiled diligently to create a vibrant community in a nation that values freedom and variety.