The Consulate General of India in Canada’s Toronto on Wednesday condemned the alleged vandalism of Ram Mandir in Mississauga. The temple was allegedly defaced with anti-India graffiti.
“We strongly condemn the defacing of Ram Mandir in Mississauga with anti-India graffiti. We have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators - Consulate General of India,” the Consulate General of India in Toronto said in a tweet.
Unverified pictures shared by a user on Twitter showed slogans at the exterior wall of the Ram Mandir.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown condemned the vandalism and said that the local Peel Police was taking this “potential hate crime very seriously.”
“I am saddened to hear of the hate motivated vandalism at the Ram Mandir Temple in Mississauga. Unknown suspects spray painted the walls on the back of the temple. This type of hate has no place in Peel Region,” Brown said.
“The @PeelPolice & @ChiefNish are taking this potential hate crime very seriously. 12 Division has carriage of the investigation & they will find those responsible. Religious freedom is a Charter right in Canada & we will do everything we can to make sure everyone is safe in their place of worship,” he added.
Mississauga-Malton MP Iqwinder S. Gaheer also condemned the incident, and said, “Deeply saddened to have a Mandir in Mississauga vandalized. Spray paint was used to vandalize the walls of the temple. The individual(s) responsible should be found and held accountable. As of yet, I am directly in touch with Mandir management to determine a path forward.”
The latest incident of vandalism at a temple in Toronto comes two weeks after a similar incident in Brampton.
The Gauri Shankar Mandir, which also acts as an important community centre for the city’s Hindus, was defaced with “anti-India graffiti” on Monday, 30, January.
Two slogans – “Khalistan Zindabad” and “Hindustan Murdabad” – were spray painted on the outer wall of the temple, reports said.
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