The Komagata Maru plaque comes up after more than a hundred years after the event in Vancouver
News East West
VANCOUVER: After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s apology in the House of Commons in May this year for the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, Canada on Sunday officially recognized the venue of the event as a site of national historic significance.
Defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan unveiled a commemorative Komagata Maru plaque from the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada at the venue of the Komagata Maru episode.
“On this day, 102 years ago, the Canadian Government shamefully turned away 376 immigrants because of their country of origin. Today, as a representative of the Canadian Government, I am honoured to stand with the South Asian community and recognize the Komagata Maru incident as an event of national historic significance which helped shaped the values – including multiculturalism – that have become a source of strength for our country today,’’ Sajjan said at the inauguration of the plaque.
The Komagata Maru was a Japanese ship hired wealthy Sikh Gurdit Singh from Malaysia to bring 376 people – mostly Punjabis – to Canada to challenge the racist laws of the time. The ship anchored in Vancouver in May 1914, but the passengers were not allowed to disembark.
The ship was forcibly returned to India after two months of stand-off. On arrival in Kolkata, as many as 20 passengers were killed by British Indian police.
The Komagata Maru tragedy, along with the laws in force at the time that allowed Canada to be indifferent to the plight of the ship’s passengers, signifies a moment of great importance in the history of immigration and race relations in Canada, said a Canadian government statement.
The statement said the designation of the Komagata Maru Incident provides an opportunity for all Canadians to learn more about our diverse history, and the lessons we have learned. The Government of Canada is committed to connecting Canadians to the significant events that contributed to our country’s varied history and rich diversity.
The Komagata Maru plaque, which rectifies one of the great injustices to the Indo-Canadian community, is a moment of great rejoicing for Vancouver Sikhs.
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