Monday 11 April 2016

Canada to formally apologise for 1914 Komagata Maru tragedy

He further said that he will 'formally apologise' on May 18 in the House of Commons, 102 years after the infamous incident, Toronto Star reported.

The Japanese steamship Komagata Maru, carrying 376 immigrants, mostly Sikhs, from India was denied entry by the Canadian government in May 1914 and was forced to return to India.

Two months later, the ship arrived in Calcutta (now Kolkata) where British soldiers fired upon the disembarking passengers in which 19 people died.

A painful chapter in the history of Sikhs in Canada, the incident also highlighted the discriminatory immigration policies Canada had followed against Asian immigrants in the 19th century.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper did apologise for the incident at a public event in British Columbia in 2008, but the Sikh-Canadians were demanding a formal statement in the Parliament.

Trudeau-led Liberal Party, which has four Sikh ministers in the cabinet, has promised a formal apology during the election campaign last year.

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