A man has been arrested in the case of vandalism of two Hindu temples in the city of Surrey in Canada's British Columbia province, according to a report.
The incident is related to the vandalism of Laxmi Narayan and Bhameshwari temples in Surrey and the plastering of Khalistani messages there.
In the recent months, a number of Hindu temples have been vandalised in Canada and Australia by Khalistani elements with anti-India messages.
In the case of the temples at Surrey, posters with threats against Indian diplomats in Canada were plastered on the temples. The incident happened amid heightened tensions between the two countries over the Khalistan issue.
Amid the ongoing diplomatic standoff between India and Canada over the Canadian Prime Minister's Justin Trudeau's claim of potential Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June, the Vancouver Sun on Thursday reported that a man has been arrested for the vandalism of the Laxmi Narayan and Bhameshwari temples in Surrey.
Shortly after Trudeau made the accusation against India, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had issued open threats against the Hindus living in Canada and had asked them to leave the country. Pannu's threats were part of the long-running campaign of Khalistani elements in Canada in which they vandalise Hindu temples, threaten the Hindus, issue threats of violence against Indian diplomats, and target the Indian missions as the Canadian government under Trudeau remains soft to the Khalistani activities on its soil.
"These acts of intimidation at the Laxmi Narayan and Bhameshwari temples are only the latest strikes at more than a dozen Hindu sanctuaries across Canada. Indian consulates in Toronto and Vancouver have also been targeted," reported The Sun.
Last week, Trudeau claimed that there were "credible allegations of a potential link" between the Indian government and the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed near the gurdwara he headed in Surrey. Nijjar was a designated terrorist who headed Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), also a designated terrorist organisation. With the allegation, Trudeau drove the India-Canada relations to a new low, which had already been tense for years over his pandering to the Khalistani elements in Canada.
India has forcefully rejected Trudeau's allegation. Following the claim, the Canadian government expelled a senior Indian diplomat posted in Canada and outed him publicly as an intelligence official. In a tit for tat response, India expelled a Canadian diplomat posted in India who has since been identified as a Canadian intelligence. Moreover, India has suspended visa services for Canadian nationals and ordered the downsizing of the Canadian missions in India.
The India-Canada relations have been strained for years over the safe haven that the Khalistan movement and organised crime networks engaged in anti-Indian activities have found in Canada. These tensions have only increased since Trudeau became the Prime Minister of Canada as the Khalistan movement has found increased tolerance and appeasement from him, his ministers, and allies.
The Khalistan movement seeks to carve out a separate Sikh nation out of India called Khalistan. For decades, the movement waged a bloody insurgency in India that finally ebbed in 1990s. While the insurgency ebbed in the 1990s, the Khalistan movement has found strong pockets of influence abroad, particularly in Canada where a number of terrorists, terrorist organisations, and gangsters have found a safe haven as Trudeau governments panders to them for the ethnic diaspora's votes.
Following Trudeau's allegations, India issued an advisory warning of "politically-condoned" anti-India activities in Canada. The phrase "politically-condoned" reflects the support that the Khalistan movement and anti-India elements in Canada receive from Trudeau, his ruling Liberal Party and allies, and his government.
