Thaindian News

Toronto, April 20 (IANS) In another major incident of violence in a Canadian gurdwara, two Sikh factions fought with weapons at the Guru Nanak Sikh Centre on the city suburb of Brampton. Machetes, knives and hammers were freely used.
More than a dozen people were injured, four seriously, in the clash in the shrine premises late Sunday.

The fight started when the group controlling the gurdwara management stopped another faction - which previously controlled the management - from holding its general meeting inside the shrine.

Initially, police didn’t intervene despite warnings about the possibility of violence. Later, they arrested three people and charged them with assault and possession of dangerous weapons.

After the incident, police spokesperson Samantha Nulle said: “We will not tolerate violent behaviour. It’s against the law and anybody who refuses to comply with the law will be charged and be dealt with appropriately.”

This is the second major incident of Sikh violence in the Toronto area.

Three weeks ago, prominent Sikh lawyer Manjit Singh Mangat was stabbed with kirpans at another gurdwara in the same city suburb.

The lawyer was stabbed for inviting ex-communicated former Akal Takht jathedar Darshan Singh Ragi for a lecture.

Toronto-based Ragi, who was the jathedar of the Akal Takht at the height of militancy in Punjab, was ex-communicated in December by the Sikh clergy in Amritsar for his views on the scripture called Dasam Granth.

Sunday’s incident comes just a day after a pro-Khalistan Vaisakhi parade in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey where pro-Khalistan slogan and flags were raised, and Sikh ‘martyrs’ eulogised.

These incidents have happened within weeks of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cautioning his Canadian counterpart about the increasing activities of Khalistani elements here.