THE Ontario Gurdwara Committee (OGC), in partnership with the gurdwaras, will be hosting an information session and press conference on Saturday about the ‘trespass notice’ for Indian Government officials that recently went into effect at Ontario gurdwaras. The OGC said: “In light of the recent uptick of interference of Indian Consular and Indian Government officials in the lives of Canadian Sikhs, Gurdwara Management Committees across Ontario have jointly taken the decision to bar the entry of these officials [to] gurdwaras pursuant to the Trespass To Property Act (1990).”

It added: “The presence of these officials makes members of the Sikh community uncomfortable in gurdwaras as they continue, among other things but not limited to, meddling in local community events, the use of bullying tactics of Indian visa denial, pressure on members of the congregation to not support certain politicians, and efforts to silence members of ethnic media on Sikh issues; as such proactive steps have been taken to ensure that Sikhs attending local gurdwaras can do so without the interference of Indian agents/consular and/or government officials.”

The press conference will take place on Saturday, January 6 at the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Malton (Malton Gurdwara), 7280 Airport Road, Mississauga, at 5 p.m.