Laxmi Narayan temple in Canada vandalised by Khalistani extremists
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada 
11 August, 2023
Case Summary
In Surrey, British Columbia, one of Canada's largest and oldest Hindu temples, the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir, was vandalized with Khalistan referendum posters on Saturday, August 12. The posters accused India of involvement in the assassination of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18th. The incident, captured on video, showed two masked individuals pasting the posters on the temple's main door before quickly fleeing the scene.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
In Hinduism, a temple is the abode of the Deity. The Deity in the Temple is consecrated, thereby, making it a real, breathing entity. Hindus believe that not just the Deity but the temple premises itself are sacred to Hindus since Hindus hold the faith that the entire Temple space is an amalgamation of the divine energy of the deity. Given the central significance of Temples in Hindu Dharma, any attack against a Hindu Temple or its peripheral premises is an attack on the faith itself and is born out of animosity towards the faith, of which, the Temple is a central tenet. Any manner of attack against a Temple and/or its premises would therefore be considered a religiously motivated hate crime. In this case, the Khalistani perpetrators desecrated a Hindu temple with anti-India posters. While it can be said that since the posters were against the country in particular, the crime should not be documented in the Hindu hate tracker, however, the truth remains that the attack on Hindu temples is in itself reflective of the hostility Khalistani separatists nurture against Hindus. It is pertinent to note that Khalistani separatists harboured specific animosity towards Hindus and their faith and also view India as a Hindu collectivity. The very basis of their demands for a separate country carved out of India is that India is a Hindu collectivity and the Sikh religious identity is separate from it, much like Islam. Therefore, by the Khalistanis, anti-India slogans are also a manifestation of anti-Hindu sentiments of the Khalistanis and therefore, constitutes a hate crime.
Case Status
Unknown
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Sikh Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
