Danish Singh
Photo: WSO

EDMONTON Police on Friday said they have arrested a 27-year-old man following a stabbing at the Nanaksar Sikh Gurdwara [Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple] early in the morning.

Police received reports at 4:49 a.m. of a male walking in traffic on Highway 15 near Horsehill Road. At approximately 5:05 a.m. police began receiving reports of a stabbing at the Nanaksar Sikh Gurdwara in the area of 14 Street and Horsehill Road.

It was reported to police that a male entered the Gurdwara and attempted to access the prayer area when he was confronted by staff. The confrontation then escalated and two male patrons of the Gurdwara were stabbed. Witnesses intervened and detained the man until Northeast Branch patrol officers arrived at 5:10 a.m. and immediately took him into custody.

EMS also responded, treated and transported a 75-year-old male and a 51-year-old male to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Edmonton Police Service Investigative Response Team (IRT) has since assumed the investigation and is working closely with the EPS Hate Crimes Unit to determine if this incident was hate motivated. Charges are pending against the 27-year-old man.

“We are thankful that this morning’s event did not result in more significant injuries or deaths but also recognize that the trauma experienced by the victims and their community cannot be understated,” says EPS Chief Warren Driechel. “This level of violence has no place in our city, and we want to ensure the Sikh community and all Edmontonians that we are taking this incident and their safety, seriously.”

Police also told the media that the suspect is known to them. He has a history of violent offences dating back to 2015. He was armed with a screwdriver.

He had been serving a sentence for aggravated assault and assaulting a peace officer and had been released from federal prison just a day earlier. He had failed to report to his designated halfway house in Edmonton.

Anyone who may have noticed the man on Highway 15 early this morning is encouraged to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.

MEANWHILE, the World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) said that it is deeply troubled by a violent incident, noting that the attack comes at an alarming time for Sikhs in Alberta.

“Just yesterday, Calgary police confirmed they were investigating threatening calls made to two Sikh gurdwaras in northeast Calgary, including threats directed at the Dashmesh Culture Centre. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas condemned the threats, which reportedly included calls for the demolition of Sikh places of worship, the WSO said in a press release.

“Earlier this month, a Sikh truck driver, Talwinder Singh Atwal, reported being subjected to comments about his religious identity before being physically assaulted at an Edmonton Walmart. Atwal said he was punched, pushed and had his beard pulled, while video showed him on the ground with his dastaar partially removed. The Edmonton Police Service Hate Crimes Unit is assisting with that investigation.

“In March, the killing of 22-year-old Birinder Singh, in a seemingly unprovoked highway shooting near Leduc Alberta also caused significant alarm within Alberta’s Sikh community and prompted WSO to call for investigators to consider whether hate had been a factor.

“These incidents are occurring against the backdrop of a documented rise in anti-Sikh hate across Canada.”

The WSO said that earlier this year, it released its national report, Understanding and Addressing Anti-Sikh Hate in Canada, based on more than 1,600 survey responses and consultations across the country. More than 80 per cent of respondents said anti-Sikh hate and discrimination had increased over the previous five years. Nearly two-thirds reported experiencing verbal harassment, and more than 70 per cent of victims said they did not report incidents, citing fear, futility or a lack of confidence in institutional responses.

The report found that visibly identifiable Sikhs were particularly vulnerable, with 91 per cent reporting that they had been targeted. Sixty-five per cent of respondents reported significant effects on their mental health. The study identified two major drivers of anti-Sikh hate in Canada: domestic racism and xenophobia, and transnational repression and disinformation linked to India.

WSO President Danish Singh said: “We are deeply troubled by what has happened at Nanaksar Gurdwara this morning, but unfortunately we cannot say that we are surprised. We have been warning for quite some time that anti-Sikh hate is rising in Canada and that, if it is allowed to continue unchecked, hateful rhetoric can translate into threats and actual violence.

“The Sikh community is being targeted from multiple directions. We are seeing increasingly aggressive far-right and anti-immigrant racism directed at visibly identifiable Sikhs, alongside a sustained campaign of disinformation and vilification originating from India that attempts to portray Canadian Sikhs and Sikh political expression as extremist or dangerous.

“Threats against gurdwaras followed by an attack must be treated with the utmost seriousness. Governments and police cannot simply express concern after each incident and then move on. We need concrete action to confront anti-Sikh hate, protect places of worship and ensure that threats and hate-motivated incidents are properly investigated.

“We are asking gurdwaras across Canada to review and strengthen their security procedures and to remain vigilant. At the same time, we will not allow fear to dictate how Sikhs live in Canada. We will respond with strength, resilience and in accordance with Sikh values.

“We expect governments and law enforcement agencies at every level to recognize the seriousness of what is happening and to take meaningful steps to protect the Sikh community. Anti-Sikh hate cannot be allowed to become normalized.”

WSO is calling on the Edmonton Police Service to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of today’s incident, including whether hate or bias played any role, and to ensure appropriate supports are provided to those injured and to the affected Gurdwara community.

It also urges federal, provincial and municipal governments to work with Sikh institutions on enhanced security measures for places of worship and to develop a coordinated response to the growing threat of anti-Sikh hate in Canada.

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