Police investigating vandalism at Vancouver gurdwara, Surrey Hindu temple

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 23, 2025 11:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

Police successful Surrey and Vancouver are investigating aft places of worship were targeted with graffiti over the weekend.

Vancouver constabulary are looking for witnesses aft a Sikh gurdwara was vandalized, portion a Hindu temple successful Surrey was defaced with spray-paint, organizers say. 

The Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara connected Vancouver's Ross Street said the vandalism is portion of "an ongoing run by extremist forces that question to instil fearfulness and part wrong the Canadian Sikh community."

Meanwhile, organizers astatine Surrey's Lakshmi Narayan Mandir judge the vandalism is portion of an effort to disagreement radical of antithetic faiths. 

Vancouver constabulary accidental suspects spray-painted connected the walls extracurricular the Ross Street gurdwara with graffiti written successful some English and Punjabi.

A connection enactment retired by the nine erstwhile the vandalism was discovered says the walls were defaced with pro-Khalistan slogans.

The pro-Khalistan question calls for the constitution of an autarkic Sikh state, called Khalistan, successful parts of northern India.

A Vancouver Police Department (VPD) connection included images of a conveyance and 2 radical who were extracurricular the gurdwara erstwhile it was vandalized Saturday morning.

Police accidental they judge a motortruck drove done the country astir the clip of the offence and 2 radical past walked adjacent the beforehand entranceway of the temple. 

VPD Sgt. Steve Addison said they are looking astatine the incident as a imaginable hatred crime.

Organizers astatine Surrey's Lakshmi Narayan Mandir accidental the Hindu temple was besides defaced implicit the weekend.

Vinay Sharma, caput of the Vedic Hindu Cultural Society, said 2 radical spray-painted the extracurricular of the temple connected Saturday astatine astir 3 a.m. The connection "Khalistan" was scrawled crossed the motion astatine the beforehand gate.

Sharma says they have shared photos and video footage with Surrey police, who are moving connected the case. 

The temple caput believes the vandalism is portion of an effort to scare radical and foment hostility.

"We are mature capable arsenic Hindus and Sikhs that we bash not combat with each other," Sharma said.

"We cognize these radical conscionable privation to disagreement and make a rift."

Addison said police successful Vancouver and Surrey are moving unneurotic to find whether the incidents are connected.