Canadian Gurdwara & Temple Vandalized with Pro-Khalistan Slogans

On 19 Apr, the Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara in Vancouver, Canada was vandalized with pro-Khalistan graffiti. The Gurdwara—established in 1906—is better known as the Ross Street Gurdwara. It was spray-painted with pro-Khalistan and anti-India graffiti. In a statement after the vandalism, the Gurdwara management said, 'A small group of Sikh separatists, advocating for Khalistan, defaced our sacred walls with divisive slogans like ‘Khalistan Zindabad’. This act is part of an ongoing campaign by extremist forces that seek to instill fear and division within the Canadian Sikh community.' In Surrey, police were notified about similar graffiti sprayed on the gates outside the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir on 140th Street. The Coalition of Hindus of North America said: 'On the weekend of advance polling, yet again, our places of worship have been desecrated—this time, not just a Hindu temple, but also a Gurdwara that had courageously stood up to Khalistani extremism.' The Ross Street Gurdwara had explicitly barred Khalistani groups from its Vaisakhi (harvest festival) parade which also celebrates the inauguration of the Khalsa in 1699. However, it must be noted that this Gurdwara is aligned with Modi-administration and has hosted Indian govt. officials on their premises. . The acts of vandalism assume significance given the national elections in Canada on 28 Apr. Former Liberal Party (LP) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as well as former Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) PM Stephen Harper defended Khalistan activism as the citizens’ right to ‘freedom of speech’. The elections will decide if the current LP PM Mark Carney, holds onto power or if the CPC under Pierre Poilievre will return to office after nearly a decade in opposition. A key player in the elections is National Democratic Party (NDP) and its leader Jagmeet Singh who played kingmaker last time. NDP withdrew its support in September 2024, citing the Liberals’ inability to resist growing Conservative momentum. Given Carney’s apparent current popularity, Singh is now facing the steepest climb of his political career (earlier coverage).