Indo-Canadian groups hold candlelight vigils, prayer meetings for the victims of Pahalgam terror attack

Hindustan Times

27-04-2025

Toronto: As the Indo-Canadian community remains in shock over the terror attack on tourists in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, they held vigils and prayers meetings in memory of the victims in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Vancouver, Montreal and elsewhere across the country.
On Saturday morning, over 300 people, including local politicians, gathered at the Gita Park in the Brampton in the GTA for a 'solemn vigil to honour the victims' of the terror attack.
'The gathering served as a powerful reminder of unity, compassion, and the collective determination to uphold peace. Together, attendees prayed, reflected, and reaffirmed their commitment to a future built on harmony and resilience,' the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce (CHCC), which held the event, said.
Its president Kushagr Dutt Sharma said, 'Today, we stood together not just to mourn, but to renew our commitment to a world where hatred has no home. The pain of the Pahalgam attacks reminds us that unity and compassion are our strongest weapons against violence.'
On Saturday evening, a similar number of mourners gathered for a candlelight vigil at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto.
Ruchi Wali, one of the principal organisers of the vigil, told the gathering that among its objectives was to send out the message that 'Hindu lives matter'.
Wali, who has roots in Jammu and Kashmir, called out the 'silence' of the Canadian establishment in criticising the perpetrators of the violence.
Rishabh Sarswat, president of the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) Canada, said that 'Hindu trauma is not recognised in Western countries' and that was 'reflected in the media and in the language of politicians'.
As speakers questioned why Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was the last among leaders of G7 countries to condemn the terror attack, Sarswat said such a delayed response spoke 'volumes' over the 'seriousness' of the country's political class over the rights of Hindu. 'That is very concerning for us as Hindu Canadians,' he said.
Joining the Indo-Canadian groups were Jewish organisations, and Baloch human rights activists, among others.
Meanwhile, a peaceful assembly was held at the Vancouver Art Gallery to show solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack, while a vigil in their memory was held in Montreal.
In a statement, the Hindu Cultural Society of Toronto expressed its 'deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the innocent victims brutally killed' in the terror attack. It will organise a prayer meeting on Sunday.
The Hindu Sabha Mandir, which was violently invaded by pro-Khalistan elements in November, also issued a statement, in which it said, 'Such reprehensible acts of terrorism against peace loving Hindu tourists, enjoying their vacation time in serene Pahalgam valley, has no place in our law-abiding world.'