Protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with members of the Canadian-Hindu community at the Hindu Sabha Temple, situated on Gore Road in Canada’s Brampton on Sunday. Several videos circulating on social media appeared to show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan striking people with fists and poles on what appears to be the grounds surrounding the temple premises.
As per media reports, protestors gathered at the temple’s main entrance and forcibly entered the premises. They then physically assaulted temple members and visitors and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the Hindu Sabha Mandir and the Indian consulate.
“This attack is the latest in a series of alarming incidents aimed at Hindu Canadians, who have faced an increasing wave of violence in recent years,” the Canadian National Council of Hindus, Hindu Federation, along with temple leaders and Hindu advocacy groups said in a statement on Sunday.
Also Read: ‘Red Line Crossed’: Canadian MP Chandra Arya Condemns ‘Khalistani Attack’ On Brampton Hindu Temple
This is not the first time the temple, situated in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) of Canada, faced bigoted attacks. Last year in December, while a 55-foot giant statue of Lord Hanuman was under constructed on its premises, the Hindu Sabha Mandir received discriminatory comments on social media from a faction of Canadian netizens, who posted derogatory comments about Hindu Canadians and Hindu gods.
Canada’s Tallest Hanuman Statue
Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton houses a 55-foot-tall statue of the Hindu deity Hanuman– tallest one in Canada. The statue was unveiled in April this year on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The structure was crafted by sculptor Naresh Kumawat from Rajasthan and was funded by the local temple management.
About Hindu Sabha Temple
Spread over an area of 34,000 square feet, the Hindu Sabha Temple is one of the largest Hindu temples in North America. As per the temple’s website, five “visionary” Hindus (also Founding Members) registered a charitable organization under the Name of Hindu Sabha in 1975. Later, with the help of public donations the organization acquired 25 acres of land in Brampton around 1978.
The project to build the temple was started in 1992, and the temple was opened in 1994 with ‘praan prathista’ of Maa Jagdamba. “Afterwards, other deities were installed with all the rituals in accordance with our Hindu Scriptures. These were performed by our Hindu Sabha priests and visiting saints from India,” the website said.
