Mahatma Gandhi statue defaced in Canada

TORONTO: The Khalistani menace against India continues unabated with anti-India elements defacing and spray-painting a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Canada with spiteful graffiti in a recent display of cowardice.

The incident was reported in the early hours of Thursday near the City Hall in the town of Hamilton in Ontario where the statue, gifted by the Indian government, is located, the Daily Hunt reported.

According to a video of the vandalism, a Khalistani flag was also found attached to the six-feet tall bronze statue, which was doused with paint and graffiti abusing Mahatma Gandhi and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While Hamilton Police said they are investigating the case, attacks by Khalistani backers on Indian installations and temples are on the rise in the North American nation.

Starting 2023, a string of attacks has been unleashed upon Hindu temples across Canada with close to half-a-dozen incidents of vandalism, spiteful graffiti, break-ins and burglaries.

In January this year, the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was targetted with walls of the temples defaced with ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ slogans. This was followed by an attack on Ram Temple in Mississauga in February, which was vandalised with anti-India slogans, sending shockwaves across the Indian community.

In July last year, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi located at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill in the Greater Toronto Area was vandalised and defaced with graphic words.

Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya recently called upon the Ottawa government to take the matter ‘seriously’.

“The attack on Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton is the latest in attacks on Hindu temples in Canada by anti-Hindu and anti-India groups. From hatred on social media, now physical attacks on Hindu temples, what next?” Arya had said. “I call on the government at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously.” (IANS)

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