Amid a slew of incidents, another Hindu temple in Canada was defaced this week when vandals spray-painted the walls of the Ram Mandir Temple in Mississauga. The problem has escalated with Indian officials requesting prompt action from Canadian authorities. The Consulate General of India in Toronto took to Twitter on Wednesday night to condemn the vandalism on Twitter.

"We strongly condemn the defacing of Ram Mandir in Mississauga with anti-India graffiti. We have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators," they tweeted.

This news comes after a trail of similar incidents in Canada that prompted the Modi government in September 2022 to issue a cautionary warning to Indian nationals and students travelling to the North American country.

The message by the Consulate General of India in Toronto was retweeted by the High Commission of India in Ottawa and House of Commons of Canada member Francesco Sorbara.

Canadian politician and Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie also tweeted about the incident saying she was "angered" by the vandalism and that local police were looking into it.

"I'm angered by the hateful and divisive graffiti defacing @missrammandir today. These blatant attacks are not reflective of our City and region's diversity and will not be tolerated. @PeelPolice are investigating and working with the community to ensure their safety," Crombie said.

The graffiti on the temple had slogans reading "Declare Modi terrorist (BBC)," "Hindustan Murdabad" and "Sant Bhindranwala is a martyr."

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On January 31, the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was also defaced with similar "anti-India" graffiti. It had been reported then that three similar acts of vandalism had been recorded in Canada since July 2022.

The Ministry of External Affairs in response had issued a strongly-worded statement in September 2022 condemning the "sharp increase" in hate crimes and other "anti-India activities" in Canada. India had also urged the Canadian government to properly investigate this string of incidents.

On October 2, 2022 a newly unveiled park named the Shri Bhagavad Gita Park in Brampton was also allegedly defaced. While the High Commission of India in Canada had condemned this "hate crime," Canadian authorities were denying any vandalism.

Canada's national statistical office, Statistics Canada, revealed that hate crimes directed towards religion, sexual orientation, and race have escalated by 72 percent between 2019 and 2021.

This has created a sense of heightened anxiety among minority communities, particularly the Indian community, which accounts for almost four percent of the country's population and is the fastest-growing demographic group.

Indian officials have also raised concerns on numerous occasions about the attacks on the Indian community by pro-Khalistani groups in Canada.

With agency inputs.

First Published:Feb 15, 2023 11:12 AM IST