Last Updated: September 04, 2023, 10:17 IST
Several attacks led by Khalistani have been reported at the Indian mission within months, drawing strong condemnation from the US government, which termed it a criminal offense. (Image: PTI/File)
Khalistan referendum event canceled at Surrey school due to controversy over weapon imagery and community concerns
A Khalistan referendum that was scheduled to take place at a Canadian school on September 10 has been officially cancelled. Authorities of Surrey’s Tamanwis Secondary School withdrew permission for the event after the organisers failed to honour the rental agreement. This follows the objections raised by the local community and provincial government about the concerning nature of the event.
Though the school’s hall had been rented for what was described as a “community event,” the school officials flagged how images of weapons and concerning images and materials, were repeatedly brandished throughout Surrey.
“Earlier today, our district cancelled a community rental of one of our schools due to a violation of our rental agreement. Promotional materials for the event featured images of our school, alongside images of a weapon. Despite repeated attempts to address the issue, the event organisers failed to remove these concerning images, and materials continued to be posted throughout Surrey and on social media,” Surrey school board’s associate director of communication, Ritinder Matthew, said in a statement.
“As a school district, our primary mission is to provide quality education and support to our students and ensure a safe environment for our school communities. Anyone renting our facilities must adhere to this,” Ritinder said while adding that, “Our decision is in no way an endorsement of, or criticism of, any political position.”
Earlier, the Surrey residents launched a campaign against the so-called “Khalistan Referendum”, an event associated with Sikhs For Justice and its leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. This protest comes after the organisers displayed posters of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing.
Notably, the Indo-Canadian Workers Association (ICWA) had called for the cancellation of the event. In a letter addressed to the school board, Satinder Sangha of ICWA, expressed concerns about the divisive nature of the referendum campaign. Sangha emphasised that such activities were detrimental to the communal harmony of the Indo-Canadian community.
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