Anurag Kumar
The event was slated to take place at the Blacktown Leisure Centre in Stanhope. The reservation has been canceled upon the advice of security agencies.
“Council’s decision is in no way an endorsement or criticism of any political position relating to the internal affairs of India or Pakistan,” a spokesperson for Blacktown City Council told The Australia Today. “It must not be interpreted as support for any particular political position,” he added.
Arvind Gaur is one of the individuals who complained about the Sikhs For Justice propaganda event’s posters and banners praising terrorists.
Gaur informed The Australia Today that he has received a response from the council’s chief executive officer, Kerry Robinson, explaining that the unauthorised banners and posters are being removed by council officials, who have also consulted the (New South Wales) NSW Police.
Robbinson stated, “We are removing the banners and posters that have been placed on city-owned property without our permission.”
The NSW Police, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) were involved in the decision to withdraw permission for the Khalistan propaganda event, according to Australia Today.
The Victoria-registered “Sikhs For Justice Pty Ltd” is the subject of an investigation, according to The Australia Today.
An official close to the investigation told The Australia Today, “We are investigating a link to unaccounted money trails.”
Australia Today reached out to Sikhs For Justice Pty. However, it received no response.
The Sydney BAPS Swaminarayan temple was vandalized recently, as reported by The Australia Today.
ALSO READ :India has to be on guard, Pakistan will try to “divert attention”: Security expert Tilak Devasher
This comes almost two months after pro-Khalistan supporters vandalized temples in Melbourne and Brisbane.
The Australia Today, a newspaper focused on multicultural communities and the Indian subcontinent, reported that authorities at the temple in Western Sydney’s Rosehill suburb discovered unwanted graffiti on the building’s front wall and a so-called ‘Khalistan flag’ dangling from its gate.
“When I went to the Swaminarayan temple this morning for prayers, I saw ugly vandalism on the front wall,” a Harris Park resident and regular visitor to the temple told an Australian media outlet.
According to a report by Australia Today, local police were notified by temple management as early as 7:00 a.m., and management has confirmed to Australia Today that NSW Police officers have attended the temple and that CCTV footage has been provided to assist their investigations.
Earlier this year, there were also reports of vandalism at Australian temples. Khalistan supporters vandalized three temples in Melbourne and two temples in Brisbane.
After police in India launched a manhunt for radical Amritpal Singh, pro-Khalistan supporters also attempted to vandalize temples and Indian diplomatic installations in the United States and Canada. The separatism radical preacher was on the run for over a month before surrendering to Punjab Police on April 23 from Moga. Later, he was flown to the Dibrugarh jail in Assam, where a number of his associates were detained and charged under the stringent National Security Act.
