Indian-origin MP asks Canadian govt to take temple attack ‘seriously’ IANS Updated: January 31st, 2023, 19:55 IST in International 0 Pic- IANS Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin Toronto: Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya, reacting to the latest attack on a Hindu temple by vandals in Canada, Tuesday called on the Ottawa government to take the matter ‘seriously’. The Gauri Shankar Mandir was vandalised with “anti-India” graffiti in Canada’s Brampton province, leaving the Indian community in a state of shock. “The attack on Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton is 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, MP from the ruling Liberal Party, wrote in a tweet Tuesday. “I call on govt at levels in Canada to start taking this seriously. ” Arya had marked Canada’s first Hindu Heritage Month in November to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by Hindus to make Canada strong and prosperous. According to him, members of the Hindu community started coming to Canada 100 years ago. Hindus rose from 1. 0 per cent to 2. 3 per cent — close to 830,000 people — of the total Canadian population from 2001 to 2021 as per a recent Statistics Canada report. Arya has been a vocal critic of hate crime incidents targeting Indians, and has strongly criticised instances of vandalism at the Hindu temples, as well as desecration of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in the country. The incident also evoked sharp reactions from the Indian Consulate General in Toronto, which said that the “hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities”. “Saddened that the Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton was defaced. This on the heels of graffiti on the SwamiNarayan Mandir last September,” Dipika Damerla, an Indo-Canadian politician from Mississauga, tweeted Tuesday. While the matter is under investigation by the Canadian authorities, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said Tuesday that he has raised his concerns over this hate crime with Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah. In July 2022, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at a Vishnu Temple in the Richmond Hill neighbourhood of Canada was desecrated. In September 2022, Canada’s BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir was defaced by alleged Khalistani miscreants with anti-India graffiti. India had then issued a strongly-worded statement urging Canadian authorities to properly investigate the “increasing incidents” of hate crime against Indians. IANS Tags: Canada Chandra Arya Hindu temple attack Share Tweet Send Share Suggest A Correction Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox. Leave this field empty if you're human: Related Posts Adani Gadot set to transform Haifa Port into a landmark: Gautam Adani January 31, 2023 British PMO defends UK economy after dire IMF forecast January 31, 2023 President’s address gave in-depth picture of transformative changes taking place, says Modi January 31, 2023 China accuses United States of pursuing ‘technological hegemony’ January 31, 2023 Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu calls Haifa port deal with Adani Group ‘enormous milestone’ January 31, 2023 Pakistan court to charge Imran Khan in Toshakhana case January 31, 2023 Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Comment * Name * Email * Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ.