Harjit Sajjan’s cartoon sparks outrage among Sikhs in Canada
TORONTO: A cartoon carried by Canadian publications showing defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan stewing in a cauldron has sparked outrage among the Sikh community members who say it resembles images of Sikh religious figures who were tortured.
Sajjan, 46, recently faced a lot of flak and apologised publicly for overstating his role in Operation Medusa, a pivotal 2006 battle in Afghanistan, while speaking during his India visit last month.
The Edmonton Sun and other Postmedia publications carried the controversial cartoon with the label “lies”, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Postmedia later apologised for the cartoon that sparked outrage among members of Alberta’s Sikh community. Critics say the caricature was offensive because it resembles images of historic Sikh religious figures who were tortured.
“I was disgusted. And then I kind of felt sad as well that a prominent news outlet in the country would do so, and would play with the religious sensitivities of the community (which is) an integral part of the society here in Canada,” said Harpreet Gill, who is on the executive committee of Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha.
Gill was quoted as saying that the cartoon bears a “striking resemblance” to the 5th Sikh master Guru Arjan Dev, who was forced to sit on a hot plate after speaking up for minorities.
He said that the cartoon prompted similar criticism on social media in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver, with demands for an apology.
The World Sikh Organisation of Canada said the Sun’s depiction of Sajjan resembled an iconic image of a martyr who was boiled to death. Harmen Singh Kandola, an Edmonton board member of the WSO said the image immediately reminded him of a “famous iconic image from Sikh history” in which Bhai Daval Das, a follower of the ninth guru Teg Bahadur, was boiled alive.