Canadian PM to apologize |
Canada`s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau notched up another signal honour as a liberal humanist by pledging to make a full apology in the House of Commons for a century-old slight against Indians, mainly Sikhs. In 1914, the Canadian government turned away 376 immigrants from Punjab who had sailed from India on board the ship Komagata Maru, after quarantining the vessel off the port of Vancouver. Following a two month long stand-off during which the Canadians refused to allow passengers to disembark, the ship was escorted out by gunships — one of them ironically called HMCS Rainbow — and sent back to Calcutta, where clashes with British soldiers killed 19 and ended in prison sentence to others.The passengers of the Komagata Maru like millions of immigrants to Canada since were seeking refuge and better lives for their families. With so much to contribute to their new home, they chose Canada and the latter failed them utterly. As a nation, we should never forget the prejudice suffered by the Sikh community at the hands of the Canadian government of the day. Trudeau said at an event to celebrate Baisakhi in Ottawa.
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