A Hindu temple in Canada's Edmonton was defaced with anti-India graffiti on Monday. The BAPS Swaminarayan Temple was targeted early this morning, the Hindu American Foundation said, adding that the slurs used in the grafitti attacked Indian-origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya.
The organisation shared a photo of the defacement in a post on X.
“The @chcconline is confirming that the @BAPS temple in Edmonton, Canada became the latest Hindu temple targeted for an attack early this morning. The temple was defaced with slurs threatening @AryaCanada, one of a few Hindu Members of the Canadian House of Commons. We are outraged by this latest incident that mirrors several previous attacks—many blamed on pro-Khalistan activists,” the post read
MP Chandra Arya said that Hindu temples in Canada have increasingly being “vandalised”.
“The Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton is vandalised again. During the last few years, Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia, and other places in Canada are being vandalised with hateful graffiti,” Arya said in a post on X.
Arya, a Liberal member of Parliament known for his advocacy on multicultural issues, pointed to the impunity enjoyed by “Khalistani extremists” in Canada.
“As I have always been saying, Khalistani extremists seem to get away with ease with their public rhetoric of hate and violence. Again, let me put it on record. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned. Like a broken record, I again call on Canadian law enforcement agencies to take this issue seriously before these rhetorics get translated into physical action against Hindu Canadians,” he said.
Canadian law enforcement agencies have been urged to take proactive measures to address these threats and ensure the safety and security of all religious communities in Canada.
