TRONTO, Ont.: Some Sikhs and Muslim leaders of Toronto have allegedly received warnings of “possible repercussions in India” if they speak out in support of the school trustee David Horrox who called Mohandass Karam Chand Gandhi “a crank”. Modh. Jawed, President of Malvern Muslim Association says he was told by Virinder Singh, the Indian Consul General in Toronto, that if militant Hindus in India were to learn that Muslims here were causing problems for Hindus, they will take it out on Muslims there.
However, Virinder Singh said that he only told Jawed that because of the conflict between Hindus and Muslims in India, any remark made about the leaders of either community can have repercussions there. It was not a threat to the Muslims, he asserted. Meanwhile, it has been reliably learnt that threats to Sikh and Muslim leaders are continuing. It was pointed out by the Sikhs that the Indian consulate officials and Hindu leaders feel no qualms while denigrading Sikh leaders but react violently when someone expresses an honest opinion about their leaders. Day in and day out the continue branding the widely revered and peaceful crusader for justice Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindtanwale as a “bloodthirsty separatist”. They must first stop such blasphemies before preaching to others, said a Sikh leader. There are about 50,000 Muslims in Toronto from India and Pakistan and they support Scarborough Trustee David Horrox who has received a number of death threats for calling Gandhi “a crank”.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 24, 1987
