Police say “no evidence of vandalism” of Hindu sign which was linked to “Khalistanis”

Peel Police have released a statement saying there is “no evidence” that a sign in Brampton’s (Ontario) Shri Bhagavad Gita Park, named after Hindu scripture, was vandalized.

The made-up incident was pushed as an example of ongoing “anti-India” actions in Canada that are being linked to Khalistanis (supporters of a free Sikh homeland). India’s High Commission of Canada (in Ottawa) released a statement on the made-up incident onto social media calling it a “hate crime”.

The statement has now been deleted after Peel Police, the local police force, revealed they have found no evidence of this claim after investigation.

One of the suspicious figures pushing this claim, Liberal Party MP of Nepean (Ontario) Chandra Arya who was born in India, also recently made the unsubstantiated claim that “Canadian Khalistani extremists” were behind the vandalism of a Mandir in mid-September, which is another crime also yet to be confirmed by police.

The claims of “anti-India” and “anti-Hindu” actions have come around the time of the completely legal and peaceful Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) Referendum in Brampton (19th September). With over 100,000 Sikhs taking part in the Sikhs For Justice vote event, Indian media reported Narendra Modi’s government were upset with Canada for allowing the event to take place. The Khalistan Referendum, despite being completely peaceful and democratic, has been deemed terrorism in India, in an attempt to silence Sikh support for Khalistan. Many believe the suggestion Khalistanis had vandalized a Hindu sign was an attempt to tarnish the movement in Canada, suggesting Arya’s statements were pushing an Indian govt anti-Sikh agenda. Around the same time, India released an advisory of caution to citizens in Canada regarding so-called anti-India forces in the country. The World Sikh Organization of Canada called this “a political stunt” which was triggered by the Khalistan Referendum.

Along with Arya, the vandalism claim was also pushed by Shuvaloy Majumdar, an Indian nationalist and Canadian political figure that is part of the notorious Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a think-tank that produced an anti-Khalistan report that was widely criticized by academics in 2020. Majumdar claimed about the fake incident that “Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Christians” were under threat, tellingly leaving out Sikhs. Majumdar has since tweeted saying the claims were a “misunderstanding”. Another Liberal MP (Greg Fergus) also tweeted about the made-up incident but has since deleted his tweet, just as Mayor of Brampton Patrick Brown did. None of these figures, including Arya, have yet apologized for their divisive takes on a fake incident that they clearly did not look into.

Mass Indian media coverage of the made-up incident has so far not been corrected. India is ranked 150th of 180 countries for media freedom.

See more on the made-up claim via the thread below.

Speaking on the issue, Sikh PA Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said, “There is concern amongst Sikhs that politicians in Canada and beyond are being coerced into anti-Sikh takes by the Indian state. Canada also has prominent journalists that freely regurgitate Indian media without any consideration of the fact they are 150th for press freedom, meaning often what they share is simply propaganda of the fascist Indian state, some of which is anti-Sikh.

“Canadian political and media circles must be more aware of how they could be used for India’s nefarious anti-minority agenda, because Sikhs today will call them out on it, as has happened in this case with Chandra Arya and the Ottawa India High Commission.”