Brampton temple vandalized with graffiti, official calls for peace

The director of a Brampton temple calls for peace after they found what appears to be hateful graffiti.

Temple priests at Shri Gauri Shankar Mandir on Queen Street in Brampton found the graffiti yesterday (Jan. 30) morning, temple director Anand Tripathi tells inbrampton.

The graffiti was on the main wall that faces Queen St., Tripathi says.

A video circulating on social media shows the word Khalistan written on the temple, which is connected to a Sikh separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs.

On Sept. 18, Brampton’s Gore Meadows Community Centre served as a voting centre for the Khalistan referendum – a nonbinding vote asking Sikhs whether or not they believe Punjab should become its own independent country, known as Khalistan, and separate from India.

The movement was also reportedly connected to a fight in Mississauga in October.

Tripathi confirms Khalistan was written on the temple, and it was the first time something like this has happened to them.

The temple community is upset.

“I think people are pretty devastated about it and pretty sad,” he says. “It’s pretty hurtful…this is a place of worship, and it’s open for all.”

Peel Regional Police confirm they are investigating graffiti on Gauri Shankar Mandir temple and are treating it as a hate motivated crime.

The graffiti has since been painted over.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown was quick to condemn the act.

The City of Brampton “condemns the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir. This hateful act of vandalism has no place in our City or Country,” Brown tweeted.

He added that he raised his concerns over “this hate crime” with Peel Regional Police.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place (of) worship,” he said.

The Consulate General of India in Toronto also spoke out against the vandalism.

“We strongly condemn (the) defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt (the) sentiments of (the) Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities,” the Consulate wrote on Twitter.

We strongly condemn defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton,a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt sentiments of Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities.

— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) January 30, 2023

Tripathi calls for peace in the community.

“We just want to bring peace and harmony in the community,” he says. “That’s the message of the temple.”

Peel Regional Police asks that anyone with information to contact 22 Criminal Investigation Bureau at 905-453-2121 ext 2233 or Crime Stoppers.

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