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{{Short description| | {{Short description|1914 exclusion of migrants in Vancouver}} | ||
{{Distinguish|Kobayashi Maru}} | {{Distinguish|Kobayashi Maru}} | ||
{{Use Canadian English|date= | {{Mfn|date=January 2026}} | ||
{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2021}} | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}} | {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2021}} | ||
{{Infobox event | {{Infobox event | ||
| title = ''Komagata Maru'' incident | | title = ''Komagata Maru'' incident | ||
| image = Komogata Maru LAC a034014 1914.jpg | | image = Komogata Maru LAC a034014 1914.jpg | ||
| image_upright = | | image_upright = | ||
| image_alt = | | image_alt = | ||
| caption = [[Sikhs]], [[Punjabi Muslims|Muslims]] and [[Punjabi Hindus|Hindus]] aboard ''Komagata Maru'' | | caption = [[Sikhs]], [[Punjabi Muslims|Muslims]], and [[Punjabi Hindus|Hindus]] aboard ''Komagata Maru'' | ||
| native_name = | | native_name = | ||
| native_name_lang = | | native_name_lang = | ||
| english_name = | | english_name = | ||
| time = | | time = | ||
| timezone = | | timezone = | ||
| duration = <!-- {{duration|h=x|m=x|s=x}} or {{time interval|date1|date2|options}} --> | | duration = <!-- {{duration|h=x|m=x|s=x}} or {{time interval|date1|date2|options}} --> | ||
| date = May 23, 1914 | | date = May 23, 1914 | ||
| venue = | | venue = | ||
| location = [[Vancouver, British Columbia]] | | location = [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]], British Columbia | ||
| coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|region:XXXX_type:event|display=inline,title}} --> | | coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|region:XXXX_type:event|display=inline,title}} --> | ||
| outcome = Ship forced out of Canada | | outcome = Ship forced out of Canada | ||
| reported deaths = Twenty-six in government records{{efn|Para 30 of Report of the ''Komagata Maru'' Committee of Inquiry states that 20 Sikhs, 2 Europeans, 2 Punjab Police Officers and 2 locals died in the riots<ref>{{cite book |title=Report of the ''Komagata Maru'' Committee of Inquiry and Some Further Documents |date=2007 |publisher=Unistar Books and Punjab Centre for Migration Studies |isbn=9788189899349 |page=74 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xzeAISr-PPgC&pg=PA74 |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref> 75 by witnesses present{{Citation needed|date=December 2021|reason=not in article}}}} | |||
| reported deaths = Twenty-six in government records | |||
}} | }} | ||
''Komagata Maru'' | The '''''Komagata Maru'' incident''' was an immigration dispute in which passengers aboard the Japanese [[steamship]] ''[[Komagata Maru]]'' were denied entry in [[Vancouver]], [[British Columbia]], Canada, on 23 May 1914. The 376 passengers (340 [[Sikhs]], 24 [[Punjabi Muslims|Muslims]] and 12 [[Punjabi Hindus|Hindus]] from [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab province]], [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British India]]) were denied entry despite being British subjects under Canada's [[continuous journey regulation]], which barred South Asian migration. Only 24 passengers were allowed to disembark, and the ship was forced to return to India under naval escort on 23 July 1914. Upon reaching [[Budge Budge]], near Calcutta (present-day [[Kolkata]]) on 27 September 1914, the [[Indian Imperial Police]] attempted to arrest the group leaders, leading to violence in which police open fired and killed 20 passengers while others were arrested or imprisoned. The incident highlighted Canada's racially discriminatory immigration policies in the early twentieth century, later resulting in public apologies issued by government officials, and has been the focus of scholarship, public memorialisation, artistic and literary portrayals. | ||
==Immigration controls in Canada== | ==Immigration controls in Canada== | ||
{{ | {{Main|Continuous journey regulation}} | ||
{{History of Vancouver}} | |||
The Canadian government attempted to restrict immigration through an [[order in council]] issued on 8 January 1908, that prohibited immigration of persons who "in the opinion of the Minister of the Interior" did not "come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey and or through tickets purchased before leaving their country of their birth or nationality". This [[continuous journey regulation]] excluded Indian immigrants as the government pressured companies to avoid selling direct ticketing from India to Canada.<ref name=":3">Johnston, Hugh J. M. The Voyage of the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge to Canada's Colour Bar. Delhi: [[Oxford_University_Press]]. 1979.</ref>{{Reference page|page=|pages=16-17, 218}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 January 1908 |title=Immigrants debarred from landing in Canada who do not come from country of citizenship in through tickets by continuous journey - Min. Int. [Minister of the Interior], 1908/01/03 |url=https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/orders-council/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=142346 |access-date=12 April 2022 |website=Library and Archives Canada |last1=Canada |first1=Library Archives }}</ref> These restrictions were implemented amidst significant immigration to Canada from the United States, Europe, and Asia.<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|page=|pages=9-10}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=150 years of immigration in Canada |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2016006-eng.htm |access-date=12 April 2022 |website=Statistics Canada |date=June 29, 2016 |quote="Record numbers of immigrants were admitted in the early 1900s when Canada was promoting the settlement of Western Canada. The highest number ever recorded was in 1913, when more than 400,000 immigrants arrived in the country."}}</ref> Prior to the ''Komagata Maru'' incident, strained race relations led to the [[1907 Vancouver anti-Asian riots|anti-Asian riots of 1907]].<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|page=15}}<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |title=A Social History of South Asians in British Columbia |publisher=University of the Fraser Valley |year=2022 |editor-last=Bains |editor-first=Satwinder Kaur |location=Abbotsford, British Columbia |editor-last2=Gurm |editor-first2=Balbir}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=5}} | |||
==Voyage== | ==Voyage== | ||
[[File:Baba Gurdit Singh.jpg|thumb|185x185px|right|Portrait of [[Baba Gurdit Singh]], ''Komagata Maru'' Memorial, [[Budge Budge]]]] | |||
===Departure from Hong Kong=== | ===Departure from Hong Kong=== | ||
Hong Kong became the point of departure. | [[Baba Gurdit Singh|Gurdit Singh]], a businessman based in [[British Singapore|Singapore]] and [[Malaysia]], was aware that Canadian exclusion laws were preventing Punjabis from immigrating to Canada. He chartered the ship ''Komagata Maru'' in March 1914, to sail from [[Kolkata|Calcutta]] to Vancouver, to reopen immigration from India to Canada.<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|page=|pages=53,56,59}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 March 1914|title=Government form of time charter-party, Hong Kong [Agreement between A. Bune, Agent for the Owners of the Komagata Maru, and Gurdit Singh, charterer].|url=http://komagatamarujourney.ca/node/11143|access-date=12 March 2022}}</ref> Hong Kong became the point of departure. After signing the charter for the ship, Gurdit Singh was arrested on 25 March 1914, but the police determined they did not have a case against him.<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|pages=58-9}}{{efn| According to Baba Gurdit Singh, documents pertaining to the ship were published beforehand in the Post Office Gazette. On examining his papers, the police didn't find anything objectionable.<ref name="Voyage of Komagata Maru">{{cite book |last1=Singh |first1=Gurdit |author1-link=Baba Gurdit Singh |title=Voyage of Komagata Maru or India's Slavery Abroad |date=2007 |publisher=Unistar and Punjab Centre for Migration Studies |isbn=9788189899332 |page=74 |url=http://www.panjabdigilib.org/webuser/searches/displayPageContent.jsp?ID=4598&page=88&CategoryID=1&Searched=W3GX |access-date=12 April 2022 |chapter=Canada's Hideous Crime Under Cover of Law}}</ref>}} Following delays caused by [[Francis Henry May]], the Governor of Hong Kong, the ship departed on 4 April with 165 passengers.<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|pages=59-60}}<ref name="Voyage of Komagata Maru" /> The ship arrived in Shanghai on 8 April and subsequently stopped at the Japanese ports of Moji on 19 April to take on coal and 86 passengers and Yokohoma for another 14 passengers, including [[Ghadar Movement|Ghadarite]] leaders [[Maulavi Barkatullah|Maulvi Barkatullah]] and [[Bhagwan Singh Gyanee]].<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|pages=61-2; 66}} While the ship sailed from Moji to Yokohama, Gurdit Singh traveled ahead by train to Kobe to negotiate charter payments, eventually rejoining the ship in Yokohama.<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|pages=|page=65}} The ship left Yokohama on 3 May with 376 passengers (340 [[Sikh]]s, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus).<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=20}}<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=10}} | ||
===Arrival in Vancouver=== | ===Arrival in Vancouver=== | ||
[[File:Komagata Maru and Rainbow.jpg|thumb|250px | [[File:Komagata Maru and Rainbow.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Komagata Maru'' (furthest ship on the left) being escorted by {{HMCS|Rainbow|1891|6}} and a swarm of small boats]] | ||
When ''Komagata Maru'' arrived | When ''Komagata Maru'' arrived at [[Burrard Inlet]] on 23 May 1914, immigration officials prohibited the ship from docking.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=10}}<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|page=72}} Authorities, including Prime Minister [[Robert Borden]], conservative MP [[H. H. Stevens]], immigration official Malcolm R.J. Reid, kept the ship offshore, cutting off communication and stalling the examination process, hoping to force the charter to default due to lack of funds.<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|page=|pages=26, 38, 73, 82}}<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=20}} | ||
The local South Asian community formed a "Shore Committee," led by Husain Rahim, Bhag Singh Bhikiwind, Mitt Singh Pandori, Balwant Singh Khurdpur, Muhammad Akbar (Punjabi-Canadian).<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=20}}<ref name="ImmigrationBan">{{Cite news |date=2017-06-27 |title=These Muslims challenged Canada's immigration ban in 1914 - iHistory |url=http://www.ihistory.co/komagata-maru-incident/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180903140652/http://www.ihistory.co/komagata-maru-incident/ |archive-date=2018-09-03 |access-date=2026-02-22 |work=iHistory |language=en-US}}</ref> The committee successfully raised $20,000 to take over the ship's charter.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=11}} On 29-30 June, lawyer [[J. Edward Bird]] pushed for a test case on behalf of passenger Munshi Singh, but the [[British Columbia Court of Appeal]] unanimously ruled against the passengers, upholding the discriminatory immigration laws and denying them entry on 6 July.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=22}}<ref>Re Munshi Singh (1914), [https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcreports/1.0357317#p267z-4r0f: 20 B.C.R. 243] (B.C.C.A.)</ref>[[File:Sikhs_aboard_Komagata_Maru.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The passengers dressed to go ashore, 23 May 1914. Front row, from left to right: Baba Gurdit Singh, his son Balwant, Baba Daljit Singh Kauni, Baba Puran Singh Janetpur, and Baba Gurmukh Singh Lalton.]] | |||
The | |||
===Departure from Vancouver=== | ===Departure from Vancouver=== | ||
[[File:Inspector Reid, H.H. Stevens and Capt. Walter J. Hose on board the "Komagata Maru".jpg|left | [[File:Inspector Reid, H.H. Stevens and Capt. Walter J. Hose on board the "Komagata Maru".jpg|thumb|left|Inspector Reid, [[H. H. Stevens]] and [[Walter Hose]] on board ''Komagata Maru''.]] | ||
Following the decision, tensions escalated as immigration officials withheld food and water to force the ship's departure. On 19 July, an armed police force of 150 men aboard the harbour tug ''Sea Lion'' attempted to take control of the ''Komagata Maru.'' The passengers repelled the boarding party by showering them with coal, fire bricks, and scrap metal. <ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=22}}<ref name=":3" />{{Reference page|page=122|pages=}}<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Emily C. |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.111348/page/n193/mode/2up?view=theater |title=Har Dayal: Hindu Revolutionary and Humanist |publisher=University of Arizona Press |year=1975 |isbn=9780816504220 |location=Tucson |pages=195 |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/House/392/Debates/070/HAN070-E.PDF |title=House of Commons Debates: Official Report (Hansard)- Wednesday, April 2, 2008 |publisher=Government of Canada |year=2008 |edition=70 |volume=142 |location=Ottawa |pages=4395 |quote="On July 19, the angry passengers fought back with the only weapons they had. They were not armed. The quote from The Sun in Vancouver read: 'Howling masses of Hindus showered policemen with lumps of coal and bricks...it was like standing underneath a coal chute.' " |access-date=12 April 2022 |issue=70}}</ref> Prime Minister Robert Borden then ordered the naval cruiser HMCS ''Rainbow'' to "enforce the law firmly and effectively but with no unnecessary violence".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/House/392/Debates/070/HAN070-E.PDF |title=House of Commons Debates: Official Report (Hansard)- Wednesday, April 2, 2008 |publisher=Government of Canada |year=2008 |edition=70 |volume=142 |location=Ottawa |pages=4395 |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref> Under the threat of naval bombardment, the federal Minister of Agriculture, [[Martin Burrell]], arrived in Vancouver to negotiate a peaceful resolution. The Canadian government agreed to provision the ship for the return voyage, and the Shore Committee allowed the captain to take control.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=23}} Only 22 passengers were admitted to Canada. On 23 July, the ship departed.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Chakraborty |first=Subhas Ranjan |title=The Tragic Journey of the Komagata Maru |url=https://www.iwm.at/publication/iwmpost-article/the-tragic-journey-of-the-komagata-maru |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=|pages=10, 23}} | |||
During the controversy, Punjabi residents of Canada had supplied information to [[William C. Hopkinson]], a British immigration official. Two of these informants were murdered in August 1914. Hopkinson was shot to death at the Vancouver courthouse while attending the Punjabi trials in October 1914.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Popplewell |first=Richard J. |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H44J2uDSE2cC&pg=PA160 |title=Intelligence and Imperial Defence: British Intelligence and the Defence of the Indian Empire, 1904-1924 |publisher=Frank Cass |year=1995 |isbn=9780714645803 |pages=160 |chapter=North America, 1905-14 |access-date=12 April 2022}}</ref> | |||
===Return to India=== | |||
With the outbreak of World War I, British officials, suspecting the passengers of harboring anti-colonial intent, barred them from disembarking in Hong Kong and Singapore, forcing the ship to continue all the way to India. On 26 September 1914, the ''Komagata Maru'' arrived at the mouth of the Hooghly River near Calcutta. Three days later, the ship was forced to anchor at [[Budge Budge]], where British authorities attempted to force the passengers onto a special train bound for Punjab. The passengers refused to board out of suspicion and instead marched toward Calcutta. However, armed police intercepted them. After an altercation involving a police superintendent, troops open fired into the crowd, killing 20 passengers. Others were severely injured or jailed. Gurdit Singh escaped.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|page=|pages=23-24}}[[Mahatma Gandhi]] urged him to give himself up as a "true patriot". Upon his doing so he was imprisoned for five years. | |||
<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chang |first1=Kornel |title=Pacific Connections |date=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520271692 |page=147}}</ref> | <ref>{{cite book |last1=Chang |first1=Kornel |title=Pacific Connections |date=2012 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520271692 |page=147}}</ref> | ||
==Significance== | ==Significance== | ||
The ''Komagata Maru'' incident | |||
=== Assassination of William Hopkinson === | |||
The ''Komagata Maru'' incident caused widespread anti-British sentiment in Canada. Tensions culminated when Bela Singh, an informant working for Inspector William Hopkinson, murdered two Sikhs inside the Vancouver gurdwara. Hopkinson threatened to kill Bhai Mewa Singh, an eyewitness, if he did not testify in favour of Bela Singh. However, Bhai Mewa Singh shared what he observed directly and was again threatened with death. On 21 October 1914, Bhai Mewa Singh then killed Hopkinson in the courthouse before the latter could testify in defence of Bela Singh and surrendered himself. He was sentenced to death and was hanged on 11 January 1915.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|pages=11-12}} | |||
=== The Ghadar Movement === | |||
The ''Komagata Maru'' incident catalyzed the [[Ghadar Movement]], which sought to overthrow British colonial rule in India. Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress began calling for independence in place of self-governance.<ref name=":4" />{{Reference page|pages=20, 25}} | |||
==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
===India=== | ===India=== | ||
[[File:Komagata Maru 5.jpg|thumb| | [[File:Komagata Maru 5.jpg|thumb|''Komagata Maru'' Shaheed Ganj, [[Budge Budge]]]] | ||
In 1952, the Indian government set up a memorial to the ''Komagata Maru'' martyrs near the Budge Budge. It was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. The monument is locally known as the ''Punjabi Monument'' and is modelled as a {{lang|pa|[[kirpan]]}} (Sikh dagger) rising up toward the sky.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chakraborti Lahiri |first1=Samhita |title=Ship of Defiance |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100926/jsp/calcutta/story_12979265.jsp |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150228074306/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100926/jsp/calcutta/story_12979265.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 28, 2015 |access-date=February 28, 2015 |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=September 26, 2010}}</ref> | |||
In 2014 government | A tripartite agreement was signed between the Kolkata Port Trust, Union Ministry of Culture and the ''Komagata Maru'' Trust for the construction of a G+2 (three storey) building behind the existing memorial. The building will house an administrative office and library in the ground floor, a museum in the first floor and auditorium in the second. The total cost of the construction will amount to 24 million [[Indian rupee]]s (INR).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Gurvinder|title=New building to honour Komagata Maru martyrs |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/news/bengal/new-building-to-honour-komagata-maru-martyrs/71895.html |access-date=June 28, 2015 |issue=Kolkata |publisher=The Statesman |date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> | ||
In 2014, the Indian government issued two special coins, INR 5 and INR 100, to mark the centenary of the ''Komagata Maru'' incident.<ref>{{cite news|last1=IANS|title=India commemorating 100 years of Komagata Maru|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/india-commemorating-100-years-of-komagata-maru/article6458812.ece|access-date=November 3, 2015|newspaper=The Hindu|date=September 30, 2015}}</ref> | |||
===Canada=== | ===Canada=== | ||
A plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of ''Komagata Maru'' was placed in the Sikh gurdwara (temple) in Vancouver on July 23, 1989. | A plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of ''Komagata Maru'' was placed in the Sikh gurdwara (temple) in Vancouver on July 23, 1989. Also, a plaque for the 75th anniversary lies in Portal Park, at 1099 West Hastings Street, Vancouver.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.komagatamaru.ca/gian-s-kotli | title=Gian S Kotli}}</ref> The 80th anniversary of the arrival of ''Komagata Maru'' is commemorated by a plaque placed in Vancouver Harbour in 1994. | ||
The first phase<ref>{{cite web|title=Komagata Maru memorial approved for Vancouver|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/komagata-maru-memorial-approved-for-vancouver-1.1078771|publisher=CBC News |date=March 1, 2011 |access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> of the ''Komagata Maru'' Museum<ref>{{cite web|title=Komagata Maru Museum Official Website|url=http://kdsross.com/community-services/komagata-maru-musuem/|publisher=Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver|access-date=November 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704212000/http://kdsross.com/community-services/komagata-maru-musuem/|archive-date=July 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> was opened in June 2012 at the [[Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver]] Ross Street Temple. A monument in remembrance of the ''Komagata Maru'' incident was unveiled on July 23, 2012.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hager|first=Mike |title=Komagata Maru passengers remembered with Vancouver monument |url=https://vancouversun.com/news/komagata-maru-passengers-remembered-with-vancouver-monument |work=Vancouver Sun |date=July 24, 2012 |access-date=August 21, 2021}}</ref> It is located near the steps of the seawall that lead up to the [[Vancouver Convention Centre#West Building|Vancouver Convention Centre West Building]] in Coal Harbour. A stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the arrival of ''Komagata Maru'' was released by [[Canada Post]] on May 1, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Komagata Maru: Booklet of 6 International Stamps|url=https://www.canadapost.ca/shop/collect-stamps/all-details-2014/details-3-arpil-2014/p-413932111.jsf?execution=e1s1 |publisher=Canada Post |access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> | |||
[[File:Raj_Singh_Toor.jpg|thumb|Raj Singh Toor, spokesperson and vice-president of the ''Komagata Maru'' Society, pointing to his grandfather, Baba Puran Singh Janetpura, at the ''Komagata Maru'' Memorial in Coal Harbour in Vancouver, BC.]] | |||
Raj Singh Toor, spokesperson and vice-president of the Descendants of the ''Komagata Maru'' Society has worked to bring about commemorations to the legacy of the ''Komagata Maru''. Toor is a grandson of Baba Puran Singh Janetpura, one of the passengers on the ''Komagata Maru''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Raj Singh Toor |url=https://www.southasiancanadianheritage.ca/hari-sharma/hari-sharma-1900-1910/raj-singh-toor/ |website=South Asian Canadian Heritage |access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref> After Toor spoke to Surrey, British Columbia city council, part of 75A Avenue in Surrey was renamed ''Komagata Maru'' Way on July 31, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 31, 2019|title=Surrey unveils Komagata Maru Way signs|url=https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/surrey-unveils-komagata-maru-way-sign/|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=Surrey Now-Leader|language=en-US}}</ref> As well, a heritage storyboard titled "Remembering the ''Komagata Maru''" was installed at R. A. Nicholson Park in Surrey on September 17, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|date=October 6, 2020|title=New Storyboard Honours Victims of Komagata Maru {{!}} City of Surrey|url=https://www.surrey.ca/news-events/news/new-storyboard-honours-victims-of-komagata-maru|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=www.surrey.ca|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=June 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> On December 23, 2020, as a result of Toor's presentations to Delta city council, a storyboard commemorating the ''Komagata Maru'' was installed in the North Delta Social Heart Plaza.<ref>{{Cite web|date=December 16, 2020|title=Signs commemorating Komagata Maru coming to North Delta Social Heart Plaza|url=https://www.surreynowleader.com/news/signs-commemorating-komagata-maru-coming-to-north-delta-social-heart-plaza/|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=Surrey Now-Leader|language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
On October 4, 2022, an interpretive plaque for the ''Komagata Maru'' Perimeter Trail and Dock was unveiled in New Westminster, BC, after Toor requested New Westminster name a civic asset in memory of the ''Komagata Maru''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Press Release |title=City of New Westminster unveils Komagata Maru interpretive plaque |url=https://www.newwestcity.ca/2022/10/18/city-of-new-westminster-unveils-komagata-maru-interpretive-plaque.php |website=City of New Westminster Website |publisher=City of New Westminster |access-date=18 March 2024}}</ref> One month later, on November 9, 2022, Port Moody, BC, unveiled a new heritage storyboard at Rocky Point Park recalling the plight of the ''Komagata Maru'', after Toor's 2021 presentation to Port Moody City Council.<ref>{{cite web |title=Port Moody unveils storyboard commemorating Komagata Maru, aid efforts of Sikh community |url=https://www.portmoody.ca/en/news/port-moody-unveils-storyboard-commemorating-komagata-maru-aid-efforts-of-sikh-community.aspx |website=City of Port Moody Website |date=November 9, 2022 |publisher=City of Port Moody |access-date=18 March 2024}}</ref> Richmond, BC, installed on July 12, 2023, two ''Komagata Maru'' commemorative signs in King George Park following Toor's 2019 request that the city acknowledge the journey of the ''Komagata Maru''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hui |first1=Vikki |title=New sign acknowledges Richmond's role in Komagata Maru tragedy |url=https://www.richmond-news.com/in-the-community/new-sign-acknowledges-richmonds-role-in-komagata-maru-tragedy-7264300 |access-date=18 March 2024 |work=Richmond News |date=July 11, 2023}}</ref> | |||
Then on July 22, 2023, the section of South Fraser Way in front of the Abbotsford Sikh Temple National Historic Site (also known as the [[Gur Sikh Temple]]) was commemoratively renamed ''Komagata Maru'' Way.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Peters |first1=Jessica |title=Komagata Maru Way: A new street name signals hope in Abbotsford |url=https://www.abbynews.com/news/komagata-maru-way-a-new-street-name-signals-hope-in-abbotsford-2354343 |access-date=19 March 2024 |work=The Abbotsford News |date=24 July 2023}}</ref> As well, three signs were installed, detailing the contributions of the Sikh community in helping to address the thirst, hunger, and ill health that many passengers of the ''Komagata Maru'' were experiencing. These commemorations were the result of work that Toor began in 2019 along with the Abbotsford Parks, Recreation & Culture department. | |||
Toor was part of the unveiling ceremony in Mission, BC, on August 16, 2023, of a ''Komagata Maru'' [[interpretive sign]] at Jack Poole Park.<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Dillon |title=Mission unveils sign commemorating Komagata Maru incident |url=https://www.missioncityrecord.com/community/mission-unveils-sign-commemorating-komagata-maru-incident-2359996 |access-date=19 March 2024 |work=Mission City Record |date=17 August 2023}}</ref> This sign was the result of Toor's April 19, 2021, presentation to Mission council requesting recognition of the ''Komagata Maru'', given the importance of the South Asian community in Mission's history.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Penner |first1=Patrick |title=Mission to honour Komagata Maru passengers, after descendant speaks before council |url=https://www.missioncityrecord.com/news/mission-to-honour-komagata-maru-passengers-after-descendant-speaks-before-council-2155720 |access-date=19 March 2024 |work=Mission City Record |date=21 April 2021}}</ref> Mission City Council and the Mission School Board also approved a display board that is to be used to teach Mission students about the ''Komagata Maru'' incident, and about the need for respecting and valuing people of different cultures.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 23, 2023 |title=City of Mission proclaims May 23, 2023, as Komagata Maru Remembrance Day |url=https://voiceonline.com/city-of-mission-proclaims-may-23-2023-as-komagata-maru-remembrance-day/ |access-date=September 25, 2024 |work=The Indo-Canadian Voice}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Komagata Maru Incident Display Board |url=https://voiceonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/KomagatMaru-Edited-May-16-23.pdf |access-date=September 25, 2024 |website=The Indo-Canadian Voice}}</ref> | |||
In 2024, [[Canada Place]] in [[downtown Vancouver]] was co-named ''Komagata Maru'' Place.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-09 |title=Prominent Vancouver street given 2nd name in honour of Komagata Maru ship|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/komagata-maru-place-canada-place-renaming-1.7110759/|access-date=2024-02-10 |website=[[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]]|language=en-ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-02-09 |title=Vancouver unveils street signs for Komagata Maru Place|url=https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-komagata-maru-place/|access-date=2024-02-10 |website=[[Vancouver Sun]]|language=en-ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-09 |title=Canada Place given secondary name and signage honouring Komagata Maru passengers|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/10285233/komagata-maru-signage-canada-place/|access-date=2024-02-10 |website=[[Global News]]|language=en-ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-09 |title= | |||
Honorary Komagata Maru street signs unveiled near Vancouver Harbour | |||
|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/honorary-komagata-maru-street-signs-unveiled-near-vancouver-harbour-1.6763385/|access-date=2024-02-10 |website=[[CTV News]]|language=en-ca}}</ref> The new signage was unveiled on February 9, 2024, following five years of advocacy by Toor.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kulkarni |first1=Akshay |title=Prominent Vancouver street given 2nd name in honour of Komagata Maru ship |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/komagata-maru-place-canada-place-renaming-1.7110759 |access-date=19 March 2024 |work=CBC News |date=9 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhattacharyya |first1=Anirudh |title=Vancouver unveils street signs in honour of Komagata Maru ship |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/vancouver-unveils-street-signs-in-honour-of-komagata-maru-ship-101707549382541.html |access-date=18 April 2024 |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=10 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Team Link |title=Canada Place given secondary, honorary name of Komagata Maru Place |url=https://thelinkpaper.ca/canada-place-given-secondary-honorary-name-of-komagata-maru-place/ |access-date=18 April 2024 |publisher=Link Newspaper |date=17 February 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Komagata Maru Place |url=https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/komagata-maru-place.aspx |website=City of Vancouver Website |publisher=City of Vancouver |access-date=18 April 2024}}</ref> | |||
As well, due to lobbying efforts by Toor, May 23 is a day of remembrance for the passengers of the ''Komagata Maru'' in the province of BC and many of its municipalities. May 23, 2020, was recognized by the city of Surrey and the province of British Columbia as ''Komagata Maru'' Remembrance Day.<ref name=proclamations>{{Cite web|date=May 23, 2021|title=Proclamations|url=https://descendantskomagatamaru.ca/proclamations/|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society|language=en}}</ref> The city of New Westminster and city of Victoria declared May 23, 2021, as ''Komagata Maru'' Remembrance Day, while the city of Vancouver commemorated the day as ''Komagata Maru'' Day of Remembrance.<ref name=proclamations/> May 23, 2023, was proclaimed by the City of Mission as ''Komagata Maru'' Remembrance Day.<ref>{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Dillon |title=Mission proclaims May 23 Komagata Maru Remembrance Day |url=https://www.missioncityrecord.com/news/mission-proclaims-may-23-komagata-maru-remembrance-day-2180106 |access-date=21 March 2024 |work=Mission City Record |date=19 May 2023}}</ref> The city of Burnaby and the city of Port Coquitlam proclaimed May 23 of every year as ''Komagata Maru'' Remembrance Day.<ref name=proclamations/> | |||
Toor has also been active in holding those in power at the time responsible for their actions. Following Toor's 2018 request to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, [[H. H. Stevens]]' name was removed from a federal building in Vancouver.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nair |first1=Roshini |title=Harry Stevens' name stripped from federal building in Vancouver over Komagata Maru |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/harry-stevens-building-name-removed-1.5241870 |access-date=21 March 2024 |work=CBC News |date=9 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author=<!--Not stated--> |title=Government of Canada removes Harry Stevens' name from building in Vancouver, B.C. | |||
|url= https://www.canada.ca/en/public-services-procurement/news/2019/08/government-of-canada-removes-harry-stevens-name-from-building-in-vancouver-bc.html|publisher=Government of Canada |agency=Public Services and Procurement Canada |date=29 August 2019 |access-date=17 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Name of politician behind Komagata Maru incident removed from federal building in Vancouver |url=https://globalnews.ca/video/5749823/name-of-politician-behind-komagata-maru-incident-removed-from-federal-building-in-vancouver |access-date=18 April 2024 |publisher=Global News Hour at 6 |date=9 August 2019}}</ref> | |||
=== Governmental apologies === | ===Governmental apologies=== | ||
In response to calls for the government of Canada to address historic wrongs involving immigration and wartime measures, the Conservative government in 2006 created the community historical recognition program to provide grant and contribution funding for community projects linked to wartime measures and immigration restrictions and a national historical recognition program to fund federal initiatives, developed in partnership with various groups. The announcement was made on June 23, 2006, when Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] apologized in the House of Commons for the [[Head tax (Canada)|head tax against Chinese immigrants]].<ref>[http://pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=CS060471] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502054401/http://pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=CS060471|date=May 2, | In response to calls for the government of Canada to address historic wrongs involving immigration and wartime measures, the Conservative government in 2006 created the community historical recognition program to provide grant and contribution funding for community projects linked to wartime measures and immigration restrictions and a national historical recognition program to fund federal initiatives, developed in partnership with various groups. The announcement was made on June 23, 2006, when Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] apologized in the House of Commons for the [[Head tax (Canada)|head tax against Chinese immigrants]].<ref>[http://pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=CS060471] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502054401/http://pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=CS060471|date=May 2, 2008}}</ref> | ||
On August 6, 2006, Prime Minister Harper made a speech at the Ghadri Babiyan da Mela (Festival of the | On August 6, 2006, Prime Minister Harper made a speech at the {{lang|pa|Ghadri Babiyan da Mela}} (Festival of the Ghadar Party) in Surrey, BC, where he stated that the government of Canada acknowledged the ''Komagata Maru'' incident and announced the government's commitment to "undertake consultations with the Indo-Canadian community on how best to recognize this sad moment in Canada's history".<ref>[http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/multi/pubs/ichr/annexes_e.cfm]. The Mela Ghadri Babiyan da is an annual festival that is run by the British Columbia based Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (Canada). The Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation ran a quarter century campaign with the very specific goal of extracting apologies for this historic injustice from the British Columbia and Canadian Governments. The Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation has worked with various groups who have suffered historic wrongs in Canada - including Indigenous nations, Chinese head-tax groups, Japanese internment groups, etc. The foundation also lobbied various MPs and MLAs in multiple provinces to work apologies through those legislatures. | ||
On | {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129040305/http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/multi/pubs/ichr/annexes_e.cfm|date=November 29, 2014}}</ref> On April 3, 2008, [[Ruby Dhalla]], MP for [[Brampton—Springdale (federal electoral district)|Brampton—Springdale]], tabled motion 469 (M-469) in the House of Commons which read, "That, in the opinion of the House, the government should officially apologize to the Indo-Canadian community and to the individuals impacted in the 1914 ''Komagata Maru'' incident, in which passengers were prevented from landing in Canada."<ref>{{cite journal |journal=House of Commons of Canada |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=Journals&doc=70&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2 |author=Government of Canada |title=Journals |number=70 |date=April 2, 2008 |access-date=November 21, 2014 |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115222657/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=Journals&doc=70&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On May 10, 2008, [[Jason Kenney]], Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), announced the Indo-Canadian community would be able to apply for up to $2.5 million in grants and contributions funding to commemorate the ''Komagata Maru'' incident.<ref>[http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/minstr/arc_disc-spch/kenney/2008/20080510-eng.cfm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129040258/http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/minstr/arc_disc-spch/kenney/2008/20080510-eng.cfm|date=November 29, 2014}} [http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=CJK073475] </ref> Following further debate on May 15, 2008, Dhalla's motion was passed by the House of Commons.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=House of Commons of Canada|url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=Journals&doc=96&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2 |author=Government of Canada |number=96 |title=Journals |date=May 15, 2008 |access-date=November 21, 2014 |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115222706/http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?pub=Journals&doc=96&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
On | On May 23, 2008, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia unanimously passed a resolution "that this Legislature apologizes for the events of May 23, 1914, when 376 passengers of the ''Komagata Maru'', stationed off Vancouver harbour, were denied entry by Canada. The House deeply regrets that the passengers, who sought refuge in our country and our province, were turned away without benefit of the fair and impartial treatment befitting a society where people of all cultures are welcomed and accepted."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th4th/votes/v080523.htm |title=Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |date=May 23, 2008 |access-date=November 21, 2014 |archive-date=March 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306032140/http://www.leg.bc.ca/38th4th/votes/v080523.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> | ||
On August 3, 2008, Harper appeared at the 13th annual Ghadri Babiyan Da Mela (festival) in Surrey, B.C., to issue an apology for the ''Komagata Maru'' incident. He said, in response to the House of Commons motion calling for an apology by the government, "On behalf of the government of Canada, I am officially conveying as prime minister that apology."<ref>{{cite news |title=PM apologizes for 1914 Komagata Maru Incident |url=http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/08/03/6345366-cp.html |access-date=October 5, 2021 |date=August 6, 2008 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080806093424/http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2008/08/03/6345366-cp.html |archive-date=August 6, 2008}}</ref> | |||
Some members of the Sikh community were unsatisfied with the apology because they expected it to be made in Parliament. Secretary of State Jason Kenney said: "The apology has been given and it won't be repeated".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/sikhs-unhappy-with-pm-s-komagata-maru-apology-1.313218 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020225055/http://www.ctvnews.ca/sikhs-unhappy-with-pm-s-komagata-maru-apology-1.313218 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |title=Sikhs unhappy with PM's ''Komagata Maru'' apology |publisher=CTV News |date=August 3, 2008 |access-date=November 21, 2014 }}</ref> | |||
Before Prime Minister Harper made his statement about the tragedy (at the Mela Ghadri Babiyan Da), members of the Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation had insisted the apology during an election swing through Surrey was not enough, and that a formal apology in Parliament was required (this was a part of the original ask by the Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation). Mr. Harper's team was not willing to make that offer, and he was roundly booed at the festival by foundation members when he did make his statement. The foundation continued in its efforts to obtain an apology, and eventually worked with the government of Justin Trudeau to make it a reality. Trudeau promised an apology in the House of Commons before he was elected PM, and kept that promise in 2016, when he offered an official apology in the House of Commons. | |||
On May 18, 2021, due to lobbying efforts of Raj Singh Toor, Vancouver City | To members of the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation only an official apology in Parliament, and written into Hansard, was acceptable. The apology, according to the group (and many legal experts they worked with) had to be entered into the public record - the record of the House of Commons - or it was just empty words. It was important to the group that future generations would have that record, and the apology didn't just disappear in a pile of press releases and web stories. | ||
The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own), which was involved in the expulsion of the ''Komagata Maru'', was commanded by a Sikh, [[Harjit Sajjan]], from 2011 until 2014. He later became Minister of National Defence.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-regiment-that-once-forced-out-the-komagata-maru-is-now-commanded-by-a-sikh/article18832286/ |title=B.C. regiment that once forced out the Komagata Maru is now commanded by a Sikh |last=Roberts |first=Nadine |work=The Globe and Mail |date=May 24, 2014 |access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> | |||
On May 18, 2016, Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] gave a formal "full apology" for the incident in the House of Commons.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.straight.com/news/1281886/gurpreet-singh-komagata-maru-apology-campaigners-gearing-thank-trudeau-annual-festival | title=Gurpreet Singh: Komagata Maru apology campaigners gearing up to thank Trudeau at annual festival in Surrey | date=August 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/article/pm-to-offer-full-apology-for-komagata-maru-incident/|title=PM to offer full apology for Komagata Maru incident|date=April 11, 2016|access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Justin Trudeau apologizes in House for 1914 Komagata Maru incident|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/komagata-maru-live-apology-1.3587827|website=CBC News|publisher=CBC/Radio-Canada|access-date=May 18, 2016}}</ref> This formal apology came about due to lobbying from the Indo-Canadian community, such as the work done by the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (as specifically noted in the Prime Minister's speech) and The Descendants of the ''Komagata Maru'' Society.<ref>{{cite news |title=Komagata Maru descendants speak ahead of Trudeau's apology |url=https://globalnews.ca/video/2707653/komagata-maru-descendants-speak-ahead-of-trudeaus-apology |access-date=October 26, 2021 |publisher=Global News |date=May 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2016/05/18/komagata-maru-apology-house-commons#:~:text=I%20apologize%2C%20first%20and%20foremost,offer%20it%2C%20fully%20and%20sincerely | title=Komagata Maru apology in the House of Commons | date=May 20, 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.darpanmagazine.com/people/newsmakers/darpans-newsmaker-of-2016-sahib-thind/ | title=DARPAN's Newsmaker of 2016: Sahib Thind }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jennykwanndp.ca/komagata-maru-and-canada-apology | title=Jenny Kwan's Statement on the Komagata Maru incident and Canada's apology | date=December 22, 2023 }}</ref> | |||
On May 18, 2021, due to lobbying efforts of Raj Singh Toor, Vancouver City Council said that they "sincerely apologize for the role the City played in the incident, especially supporting laws that prevented passengers from disembarking".<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Vancouver|first=City of|title=Vancouver City Council apologizes for Komagata Maru racism|url=https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/vancouver-city-council-apologizes-for-komagata-maru-racism.aspx|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=vancouver.ca|language=en|archive-date=July 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710054644/https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/vancouver-city-council-apologizes-for-komagata-maru-racism.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Also due to lobbying efforts of Toor, New Westminster City Council acknowledged on September 27, 2021, that the city's "...formal support of discriminatory, racist and exclusionary legislation contributed to the plight of the passengers of the ''Komagata Maru'', both in Canadian waters and upon their return to India."<ref>{{cite web |title=City of New Westminster Apology to the Community, Families and Descendants of the Komagata Maru |url=https://www.newwestcity.ca/database/files/library/New_Westminster_Apology_to_Descendants_of_KM.pdf |website=City of New Westminster Archive Files |access-date=October 4, 2021}}</ref> Consequently, "The City of New Westminster formally apologizes to the South Asian community and the descendants of the survivors of the ''Komagata Maru'' for its past actions which resulted in discrimination and exclusion."<ref>{{cite news |title=New Westminster apologizes for role in Komagata Maru incident |url=https://www.newwestrecord.ca/bc-news/new-westminster-apologizes-for-role-in-komagata-maru-incident-4465023 |access-date=October 4, 2021 |work=New Westminster Record |date=September 28, 2021}}</ref> | |||
===Media=== | ===Media=== | ||
''[[Jeevan Sangram]]'' is a 1974 Indian [[Hindi]]-language action-drama film directed by Rajbans Khanna. Based on the Komagata Maru incident it follows Arjun on board the ship and his return to India thereafter where he escapes the firing at the harbour and becomes a rebel against British rule in India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Kumar|first=Anu|title=Films about Komagata Maru's Indian passengers remind us of struggles of refugees around the world|url=https://scroll.in/reel/938657/films-about-komagata-maru-remind-us-of-the-brave-and-risky-journeys-of-refugees-the-world-over|access-date=March 7, 2021|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref> | ''[[Jeevan Sangram]]'' is a 1974 Indian [[Hindi]]-language action-drama film directed by Rajbans Khanna. Based on the ''Komagata Maru'' incident it follows Arjun on board the ship and his return to India thereafter where he escapes the firing at the harbour and becomes a rebel against British rule in India.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Kumar|first=Anu|title=Films about Komagata Maru's Indian passengers remind us of struggles of refugees around the world|url=https://scroll.in/reel/938657/films-about-komagata-maru-remind-us-of-the-brave-and-risky-journeys-of-refugees-the-world-over|access-date=March 7, 2021|website=Scroll.in|date=September 27, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> | ||
The first Canadian play based on the incident is ''The Komagata Maru Incident'', written by [[Sharon Pollock]] and presented in January 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url= | The first Canadian play based on the incident is ''The Komagata Maru Incident'', written by [[Sharon Pollock]] and presented in January 1976.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canadiantheatre.com/dict.pl?term=The%20Komagata%20Maru%20Incident |title=The Komagata Maru Incident |publisher=Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia |date=July 24, 2011 |access-date=November 21, 2014}}</ref> It was presented again in 2017 by the [[Stratford Festival]], directed by Keira Loughran, starring [[Kiran Ahluwalia]]. | ||
The first Canadian novel based on the incident is ''Lions of the Sea'', written by [[Jessi Thind]] and published in 2001.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Okk452lbaDsC |title=Lions of the Sea |publisher=Nalanda University Press|isbn=9781412217385 |date=November 4, 2003 }}</ref> In 2011 [[Diana Lobb]] cited ''Lions of the Sea'' as one of the first fictionalized South Asian perspectives on the ''Komagata Maru'' in her philosophical dissertation presented to the University of Waterloo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/handle/10012/5819/Diana%20Lobb%20Dissertation%203.pdf?sequence=1 |title=Canadian Literatures Beyond the Colour Line |publisher= University of Waterloo}}</ref> Several friends of the author suggested the title of the novel for the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada Komagata Maru exhibition in 2014 which was subsequently titled "Lions of the Sea: The National Komagata Maru Exhibition."<ref>{{cite web|title= Lions of the Sea Exhibition|url=http://shmc.ca/work/52/}}</ref> | The first Canadian novel based on the incident is ''Lions of the Sea'', written by [[Jessi Thind]] and published in 2001.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Okk452lbaDsC |title=Lions of the Sea |publisher=Nalanda University Press|isbn=9781412217385 |date=November 4, 2003 }}</ref> In 2011 [[Diana Lobb]] cited ''Lions of the Sea'' as one of the first fictionalized South Asian perspectives on the ''Komagata Maru'' in her philosophical dissertation presented to the University of Waterloo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uwspace.uwaterloo.ca/bitstream/handle/10012/5819/Diana%20Lobb%20Dissertation%203.pdf?sequence=1 |title=Canadian Literatures Beyond the Colour Line |publisher= University of Waterloo}}</ref> Several friends of the author suggested the title of the novel for the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada ''Komagata Maru'' exhibition in 2014 which was subsequently titled "Lions of the Sea: The National ''Komagata Maru'' Exhibition."<ref>{{cite web|title= Lions of the Sea Exhibition|url= http://shmc.ca/work/52/|access-date= January 27, 2017|archive-date= January 8, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170108001932/http://shmc.ca/work/52/|url-status= dead}}</ref> | ||
[[Ajmer Rode]] wrote the play ''Komagata Maru'' based on the incident in 1984. In 1989, when Indo-Canadian community of British Columbia commemorated the 75th anniversary of the ''Komagata Maru'', Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal wrote a play Samundari Sher Nal Takkar (''The Battle with the Sealion'') and co-edited and produced first issue of Punjabi literary magazine ''Watan'' on the ''Komagata Maru'' incident. | [[Ajmer Rode]] wrote the play ''Komagata Maru'' based on the incident in 1984. In 1989, when Indo-Canadian community of British Columbia commemorated the 75th anniversary of the ''Komagata Maru'', Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal wrote a play Samundari Sher Nal Takkar (''The Battle with the Sealion'') and co-edited and produced first issue of Punjabi literary magazine ''Watan'' on the ''Komagata Maru'' incident. Phinder Dulai wrote A Letter To The Maru – 1914–1994. The letter was a fictionalized narrative utilizing both public record documentation and archival material; the piece ran in 1998 in an issue of ''Rungh Magazine''. | ||
''Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?'' is a 2006 novel by the Indo-Canadian writer [[Anita Rau Badami]], it follows a woman named Bibi-ji who retraces her father's steps during the incident in Canada, with the plot being linked with other contemporary issues in India. ''Oh Canada, Oh Komagata Maru'' is a 2012 play by Alia Rehana Somani which explores memories of the incident among the Indo-Canadian community.<ref name=":0" /> | ''Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?'' is a 2006 novel by the Indo-Canadian writer [[Anita Rau Badami]], it follows a woman named Bibi-ji who retraces her father's steps during the incident in Canada, with the plot being linked with other contemporary issues in India. ''Oh Canada, Oh Komagata Maru'' is a 2012 play by Alia Rehana Somani which explores memories of the incident among the Indo-Canadian community.<ref name=":0" /> | ||
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The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] radio play ''Entry Denied'', by the Indo-Canadian scriptwriter [[Sugith Varughese]] focuses on the incident. | The [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] radio play ''Entry Denied'', by the Indo-Canadian scriptwriter [[Sugith Varughese]] focuses on the incident. | ||
In 2012, filmmaker Ali Kazimi's book ''Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru'' was published by Douglas & McIntyre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/undesirables|title=Douglas & McIntyre Publishers|website=www.dmpibooks.com|access-date=June 18, | In 2012, filmmaker Ali Kazimi's book ''Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru'' was published by Douglas & McIntyre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/undesirables|title=Douglas & McIntyre Publishers|website=www.dmpibooks.com|access-date=June 18, 2018|archive-date=September 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053801/http://www.dmpibooks.com/book/undesirables|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
In 2014, ''dream / arteries'', written by Phinder Dulai, was published by Talon Books. The poetry book begins with a suite of poems that utilize archival records, public repositories, and online uploaded material never published before, including new photographs of the ''Komagata Maru'' from the Vancouver Public Library.<ref>{{Cite web|title=dream / arteries » Books » Talonbooks|url=https://talonbooks.com/books/dream-arteries|access-date=December 7, 2020|website=talonbooks.com}}</ref> | In 2014, ''dream / arteries'', written by Phinder Dulai, was published by Talon Books. The poetry book begins with a suite of poems that utilize archival records, public repositories, and online uploaded material never published before, including new photographs of the ''Komagata Maru'' from the Vancouver Public Library.<ref>{{Cite web|title=dream / arteries » Books » Talonbooks|url=https://talonbooks.com/books/dream-arteries|access-date=December 7, 2020|website=talonbooks.com}}</ref> | ||
[[Simon Fraser University]] Library launched a website ''Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey'' in 2012 funded by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the auspices of the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP). This website contains information and documents related to the ''Komagata Maru'' incident and a timeline that unfolds the details and supports teaching, research and knowledge about the ''Komagata Maru'' for school-aged, post-secondary and general audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://komagatamarujourney.ca/|title=Komagata Maru Journey|website=komagatamarujourney.ca|access-date=June 18, | [[Simon Fraser University]] Library launched a website ''Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey'' in 2012 funded by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the auspices of the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP). This website contains information and documents related to the ''Komagata Maru'' incident and a timeline that unfolds the details and supports teaching, research and knowledge about the ''Komagata Maru'' for school-aged, post-secondary and general audiences.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://komagatamarujourney.ca/|title=Komagata Maru Journey|website=komagatamarujourney.ca|access-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> | ||
In 2010 - First ''Komagata Maru'' Memorial Youth Hockey Tournament was held in Hong Kong by Punjab Youth Club (HK) in the memory of Komagata Incident. From 2011 Punjab Youth Club (HK) made in annual. In year 2023 13th KGM Memorial Hockey tournament was held in Hong Kong | |||
===Film and Literature=== | |||
''[[Guru Nanak Jahaz]]'', a [[Punjabi cinema|Punjabi film]] based on the ''Komagata Maru'' incident and the murder of [[William C. Hopkinson]] was released in May 2025. It stars [[Gurpreet Ghuggi]] as [[Baba Gurdit Singh]], [[Tarsem Jassar]] as [[Mewa Singh Lopoke]] and [[Edward Sonnenblick]] as William C. Hopkinson.<ref name=":34">{{Cite news |title=Guru Nanak Jahaz Trailer Unveiled: A Gripping Tale of Sacrifice, Struggle & Forgotten Historyurl=https://www.thepollywood.com/guru-nanak-jahaz-trailer-unveiled-a-gripping-tale-of-sacrifice-struggle-forgotten-history/access-date=2025-04-26 |work=The Pollywood .com |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Punjabi Cinema Goes Global with Hollywood Stars Edward Sonnenblick and Mark Bennington |url=https://www.indianewscalling.com/sunday-magazine/news/170444-punjabi-cinema-goes-global-with-hollywood-stars-edward-sonnenblick-and-mark-bennington.aspx |access-date=30 April 2025 |work=India News Calling |date=April 24, 2025}}</ref><ref name=":34" /><ref>{{cite news |title=Punjabi Cinema Goes Global with Hollywood Stars Edward Sonnenblick and Mark Bennington |url=https://www.indianewscalling.com/sunday-magazine/news/170444-punjabi-cinema-goes-global-with-hollywood-stars-edward-sonnenblick-and-mark-bennington.aspx |access-date=30 April 2025 |work=India News Calling |date=April 24, 2025}}</ref> | |||
==Gallery== | |||
{{Gallery|File:Komagata Maru incident VPL 6226 (11243923746).jpg|''Komagata Maru'' incident.|File:Komagata Maru Incident VPL 6231 (11243921036).jpg|''Komagata Maru'' incident.|File:Komogata Maru LAC a034014 1914.jpg|[[Punjabi Sikhs]], [[Punjabi Muslims]], and [[Punjabi Hindus]] on board the ''[[Komagata Maru]]'' in [[Vancouver]], 1914.|File:Komagata Maru incident VPL 13162 (11326360494).jpg|''Komagata Maru'' incident|File:Komagata Maru incident VPL 136 (11326289713).jpg|''Komagata Maru'' incident|align=center|width=215}} | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[Human rights in Canada]] | * [[Human rights in Canada]] | ||
*[[Ukrainian Canadian internment]] | * [[Anti-Sikh sentiment in Canada]] | ||
*[[Anti-German sentiment]] in Victoria 1914 | * [[Ukrainian Canadian internment]] | ||
*[[MS St. Louis|MS ''St. Louis'']], another vessel carrying immigrants denied entry to North America | * [[Anti-German sentiment]] in Victoria 1914 | ||
*[[MV Sun Sea incident|MV ''Sun Sea'' incident]] | * [[MS St. Louis|MS ''St. Louis'']], another vessel carrying immigrants denied entry to North America | ||
*[[British protected person]] | * [[MV Sun Sea incident|MV ''Sun Sea'' incident]] | ||
*[[Indo-Canadians in Greater Vancouver]] | * [[British protected person]] | ||
*[[Mewa Singh Lopoke]] | * [[Indo-Canadians in Greater Vancouver]] | ||
* [[Mewa Singh Lopoke]] | |||
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
{{ | {{Notelist}} | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | |||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||
{{refbegin}} | {{refbegin}} | ||
* Ferguson, Ted, ''A White Man's Country'' (Toronto: [[Doubleday Canada]], 1975) | * Ferguson, Ted, ''A White Man's Country'' (Toronto: [[Doubleday Canada]], 1975) | ||
* Johnston, Hugh J.M., ''The Voyage of the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge to Canada's Colour Bar.'' (Delhi: [[Oxford University Press]], 1979) | * Johnston, Hugh J. M., ''The Voyage of the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge to Canada's Colour Bar.'' (Delhi: [[Oxford University Press]], 1979) | ||
* Josh, Sohan Singh, "Tragedy of the ''Komagata Maru''" (New Delhi: People's Publishing House, 1975) | * Josh, Sohan Singh, "Tragedy of the ''Komagata Maru''" (New Delhi: People's Publishing House, 1975) | ||
* Kazimi, Ali, ''Continuous Journey, feature-length documentary about the ''Komagata Maru''. 2004 | * Kazimi, Ali, ''Continuous Journey'', feature-length documentary about the ''Komagata Maru''. 2004 | ||
* {{cite book |last=Kazimi |first=Ali |title=Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru |location=Vancouver |publisher=D&M Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-1553659730}} | * {{cite book |last=Kazimi |first=Ali |title=Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru |location=Vancouver |publisher=D&M Publishers |year=2011 |isbn=978-1553659730}} | ||
* McKelvie, B. A., "Magic, Murder and Mystery", (Duncan, B.C., Cowichan Leader, 1965) | * McKelvie, B. A., "Magic, Murder and Mystery", (Duncan, B.C., Cowichan Leader, 1965) | ||
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{{refend}} | {{refend}} | ||
== External links == | ==External links== | ||
{{Commons category|Komagata Maru incident}} | {{Commons category|Komagata Maru incident}} | ||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130811214922/http://www.centralsikhmuseum.com/gallery/hi/km/ Gallery on ''Komagata Maru'' incident] | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20130811214922/http://www.centralsikhmuseum.com/gallery/hi/km/ Gallery on ''Komagata Maru'' incident] | ||
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130920195615/http://www.sikhpioneers.org/koma.html Pioneer East Asian Immigration to the Pacific Coast: ''Komagata Maru''] | * {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130920195615/http://www.sikhpioneers.org/koma.html Pioneer East Asian Immigration to the Pacific Coast: ''Komagata Maru'']}} | ||
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490857/ ''Continuous Journey'', a feature-length documentary by Ali Kazimi] | * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490857/ ''Continuous Journey'', a feature-length documentary by Ali Kazimi] | ||
* [https://timeline.com/komagata-maru-indian-canada-38d327071c56 Photos: When these Indian immigrants got to Canada, police kept them on their boat for two months] | * [https://timeline.com/komagata-maru-indian-canada-38d327071c56 Photos: When these Indian immigrants got to Canada, police kept them on their boat for two months] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517004714/https://timeline.com/komagata-maru-indian-canada-38d327071c56 |date=May 17, 2022 }} | ||
* [https://books.google.com/books | * [https://books.google.com/books?id=Okk452lbaDsC ''Lions of the Sea'', a novel by Jessi Thind] | ||
* [ | * [https://www.cbc.ca/asianheritage/film/ CBC Radio One's ''As It Happens'' aired an interview with ''Continuous Journey'' filmmaker Ali Kazimi on May 13, 2008] | ||
* [http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=bc5cdad1-2922-45e9-a828-d5e68baf500a "Tejpal Singh Sandhu was at Monday's meeting representing his great-grandfather Gurdit Singh Indian, who chartered the ship to travel from India to Canada."] | * [https://archive.today/20130119150425/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=bc5cdad1-2922-45e9-a828-d5e68baf500a "Tejpal Singh Sandhu was at Monday's meeting representing his great-grandfather Gurdit Singh Indian, who chartered the ship to travel from India to Canada."] | ||
* [http://komagatamarujourney.ca/ ''Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey'' website by Simon Fraser University Library. A resource-rich website about the ''Komagata Maru'' story] | * [http://komagatamarujourney.ca/ ''Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey'' website by Simon Fraser University Library. A resource-rich website about the ''Komagata Maru'' story] | ||
* [http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/komagata-maru ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'': ''"Komagata Maru"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124080332/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/komagata-maru |date=November 24, 2013 }} | * [http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/komagata-maru ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'': ''"Komagata Maru"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124080332/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/komagata-maru |date=November 24, 2013 }} | ||
* [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/komagata-maru-100-years-later/article18830049/ Globe and Mail: Behind the Komagata | * [https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/komagata-maru-100-years-later/article18830049/ Globe and Mail: Behind the Komagata Maru's fight to open Canada's border] | ||
* | * https://talonbooks.com/books/dream-arteries | ||
* [https://descendantskomagatamaru.ca/ Descendants of the ''Komagata Maru'' Society Website, a site dedicated to educating people about the ''Komagata Maru'' Incident ] | * [https://descendantskomagatamaru.ca/ Descendants of the ''Komagata Maru'' Society Website, a site dedicated to educating people about the ''Komagata Maru'' Incident] | ||
* [https://scroll.in/reel/938657/films-about-komagata-maru-remind-us-of-the-brave-and-risky-journeys-of-refugees-the-world-over Films about ''Komagata Maru''] | |||
{{Ghadar Conspiracy}} | {{Ghadar Conspiracy}} | ||
{{January–July 1914 shipwrecks}} | {{January–July 1914 shipwrecks}} | ||
{{Vancouver}} | {{Vancouver}} | ||
{{Authority control}} | |||
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Komagata Maru'' incident}} | |||
[[Category:History of human rights in Canada]] | [[Category:History of human rights in Canada]] | ||
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[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1914]] | [[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1914]] | ||
[[Category:Ocean liners]] | [[Category:Ocean liners]] | ||
[[Category:Anti-Indian sentiment in Canada]] | |||
[[Category:Anti-Indian sentiment in North America]] | [[Category:Anti-Indian sentiment in North America]] | ||
[[Category:Revolutionary movement for Indian independence]] | [[Category:Revolutionary movement for Indian independence]] | ||
| Line 253: | Line 225: | ||
[[Category:Maritime incidents in Canada]] | [[Category:Maritime incidents in Canada]] | ||
[[Category:Immigration to British Columbia]] | [[Category:Immigration to British Columbia]] | ||
[[Category:Sikhism in British Columbia]] | |||
Latest revision as of 00:23, 21 March 2026
 | |
| Date | May 23, 1914 |
|---|---|
| Location | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Outcome | Ship forced out of Canada |
| Deaths | Twenty-six in government records[lower-alpha 1] |
The Komagata Maru incident was an immigration dispute in which passengers aboard the Japanese steamship Komagata Maru were denied entry in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on 23 May 1914. The 376 passengers (340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims and 12 Hindus from Punjab province, British India) were denied entry despite being British subjects under Canada's continuous journey regulation, which barred South Asian migration. Only 24 passengers were allowed to disembark, and the ship was forced to return to India under naval escort on 23 July 1914. Upon reaching Budge Budge, near Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) on 27 September 1914, the Indian Imperial Police attempted to arrest the group leaders, leading to violence in which police open fired and killed 20 passengers while others were arrested or imprisoned. The incident highlighted Canada's racially discriminatory immigration policies in the early twentieth century, later resulting in public apologies issued by government officials, and has been the focus of scholarship, public memorialisation, artistic and literary portrayals.
Immigration controls in Canada[edit | edit source]
The Canadian government attempted to restrict immigration through an order in council issued on 8 January 1908, that prohibited immigration of persons who "in the opinion of the Minister of the Interior" did not "come from the country of their birth or citizenship by a continuous journey and or through tickets purchased before leaving their country of their birth or nationality". This continuous journey regulation excluded Indian immigrants as the government pressured companies to avoid selling direct ticketing from India to Canada.[2]Template:Reference page[3] These restrictions were implemented amidst significant immigration to Canada from the United States, Europe, and Asia.[2]Template:Reference page[4] Prior to the Komagata Maru incident, strained race relations led to the anti-Asian riots of 1907.[2]Template:Reference page[5]Template:Reference page
Voyage[edit | edit source]
Departure from Hong Kong[edit | edit source]
Gurdit Singh, a businessman based in Singapore and Malaysia, was aware that Canadian exclusion laws were preventing Punjabis from immigrating to Canada. He chartered the ship Komagata Maru in March 1914, to sail from Calcutta to Vancouver, to reopen immigration from India to Canada.[2]Template:Reference page[6] Hong Kong became the point of departure. After signing the charter for the ship, Gurdit Singh was arrested on 25 March 1914, but the police determined they did not have a case against him.[2]Template:Reference page[lower-alpha 2] Following delays caused by Francis Henry May, the Governor of Hong Kong, the ship departed on 4 April with 165 passengers.[2]Template:Reference page[7] The ship arrived in Shanghai on 8 April and subsequently stopped at the Japanese ports of Moji on 19 April to take on coal and 86 passengers and Yokohoma for another 14 passengers, including Ghadarite leaders Maulvi Barkatullah and Bhagwan Singh Gyanee.[2]Template:Reference page While the ship sailed from Moji to Yokohama, Gurdit Singh traveled ahead by train to Kobe to negotiate charter payments, eventually rejoining the ship in Yokohama.[2]Template:Reference page The ship left Yokohama on 3 May with 376 passengers (340 Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus).[5]Template:Reference page[5]Template:Reference page
Arrival in Vancouver[edit | edit source]
When Komagata Maru arrived at Burrard Inlet on 23 May 1914, immigration officials prohibited the ship from docking.[5]Template:Reference page[2]Template:Reference page Authorities, including Prime Minister Robert Borden, conservative MP H. H. Stevens, immigration official Malcolm R.J. Reid, kept the ship offshore, cutting off communication and stalling the examination process, hoping to force the charter to default due to lack of funds.[2]Template:Reference page[5]Template:Reference page
The local South Asian community formed a "Shore Committee," led by Husain Rahim, Bhag Singh Bhikiwind, Mitt Singh Pandori, Balwant Singh Khurdpur, Muhammad Akbar (Punjabi-Canadian).[5]Template:Reference page[8] The committee successfully raised $20,000 to take over the ship's charter.[5]Template:Reference page On 29-30 June, lawyer J. Edward Bird pushed for a test case on behalf of passenger Munshi Singh, but the British Columbia Court of Appeal unanimously ruled against the passengers, upholding the discriminatory immigration laws and denying them entry on 6 July.[5]Template:Reference page[9]
Departure from Vancouver[edit | edit source]
Following the decision, tensions escalated as immigration officials withheld food and water to force the ship's departure. On 19 July, an armed police force of 150 men aboard the harbour tug Sea Lion attempted to take control of the Komagata Maru. The passengers repelled the boarding party by showering them with coal, fire bricks, and scrap metal. [5]Template:Reference page[2]Template:Reference page[10][11] Prime Minister Robert Borden then ordered the naval cruiser HMCS Rainbow to "enforce the law firmly and effectively but with no unnecessary violence".[12] Under the threat of naval bombardment, the federal Minister of Agriculture, Martin Burrell, arrived in Vancouver to negotiate a peaceful resolution. The Canadian government agreed to provision the ship for the return voyage, and the Shore Committee allowed the captain to take control.[5]Template:Reference page Only 22 passengers were admitted to Canada. On 23 July, the ship departed.[13][5]Template:Reference page
During the controversy, Punjabi residents of Canada had supplied information to William C. Hopkinson, a British immigration official. Two of these informants were murdered in August 1914. Hopkinson was shot to death at the Vancouver courthouse while attending the Punjabi trials in October 1914.[14]
Return to India[edit | edit source]
With the outbreak of World War I, British officials, suspecting the passengers of harboring anti-colonial intent, barred them from disembarking in Hong Kong and Singapore, forcing the ship to continue all the way to India. On 26 September 1914, the Komagata Maru arrived at the mouth of the Hooghly River near Calcutta. Three days later, the ship was forced to anchor at Budge Budge, where British authorities attempted to force the passengers onto a special train bound for Punjab. The passengers refused to board out of suspicion and instead marched toward Calcutta. However, armed police intercepted them. After an altercation involving a police superintendent, troops open fired into the crowd, killing 20 passengers. Others were severely injured or jailed. Gurdit Singh escaped.[5]Template:Reference pageMahatma Gandhi urged him to give himself up as a "true patriot". Upon his doing so he was imprisoned for five years. [15]
Significance[edit | edit source]
Assassination of William Hopkinson[edit | edit source]
The Komagata Maru incident caused widespread anti-British sentiment in Canada. Tensions culminated when Bela Singh, an informant working for Inspector William Hopkinson, murdered two Sikhs inside the Vancouver gurdwara. Hopkinson threatened to kill Bhai Mewa Singh, an eyewitness, if he did not testify in favour of Bela Singh. However, Bhai Mewa Singh shared what he observed directly and was again threatened with death. On 21 October 1914, Bhai Mewa Singh then killed Hopkinson in the courthouse before the latter could testify in defence of Bela Singh and surrendered himself. He was sentenced to death and was hanged on 11 January 1915.[5]Template:Reference page
The Ghadar Movement[edit | edit source]
The Komagata Maru incident catalyzed the Ghadar Movement, which sought to overthrow British colonial rule in India. Mahatma Gandhi and the Indian National Congress began calling for independence in place of self-governance.[5]Template:Reference page
Legacy[edit | edit source]
India[edit | edit source]
In 1952, the Indian government set up a memorial to the Komagata Maru martyrs near the Budge Budge. It was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The monument is locally known as the Punjabi Monument and is modelled as a kirpan (Sikh dagger) rising up toward the sky.[16]
A tripartite agreement was signed between the Kolkata Port Trust, Union Ministry of Culture and the Komagata Maru Trust for the construction of a G+2 (three storey) building behind the existing memorial. The building will house an administrative office and library in the ground floor, a museum in the first floor and auditorium in the second. The total cost of the construction will amount to 24 million Indian rupees (INR).[17]
In 2014, the Indian government issued two special coins, INR 5 and INR 100, to mark the centenary of the Komagata Maru incident.[18]
Canada[edit | edit source]
A plaque commemorating the 75th anniversary of the departure of Komagata Maru was placed in the Sikh gurdwara (temple) in Vancouver on July 23, 1989. Also, a plaque for the 75th anniversary lies in Portal Park, at 1099 West Hastings Street, Vancouver.[19] The 80th anniversary of the arrival of Komagata Maru is commemorated by a plaque placed in Vancouver Harbour in 1994.
The first phase[20] of the Komagata Maru Museum[21] was opened in June 2012 at the Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver Ross Street Temple. A monument in remembrance of the Komagata Maru incident was unveiled on July 23, 2012.[22] It is located near the steps of the seawall that lead up to the Vancouver Convention Centre West Building in Coal Harbour. A stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Komagata Maru was released by Canada Post on May 1, 2014.[23]
Raj Singh Toor, spokesperson and vice-president of the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society has worked to bring about commemorations to the legacy of the Komagata Maru. Toor is a grandson of Baba Puran Singh Janetpura, one of the passengers on the Komagata Maru.[24] After Toor spoke to Surrey, British Columbia city council, part of 75A Avenue in Surrey was renamed Komagata Maru Way on July 31, 2019.[25] As well, a heritage storyboard titled "Remembering the Komagata Maru" was installed at R. A. Nicholson Park in Surrey on September 17, 2020.[26] On December 23, 2020, as a result of Toor's presentations to Delta city council, a storyboard commemorating the Komagata Maru was installed in the North Delta Social Heart Plaza.[27]
On October 4, 2022, an interpretive plaque for the Komagata Maru Perimeter Trail and Dock was unveiled in New Westminster, BC, after Toor requested New Westminster name a civic asset in memory of the Komagata Maru.[28] One month later, on November 9, 2022, Port Moody, BC, unveiled a new heritage storyboard at Rocky Point Park recalling the plight of the Komagata Maru, after Toor's 2021 presentation to Port Moody City Council.[29] Richmond, BC, installed on July 12, 2023, two Komagata Maru commemorative signs in King George Park following Toor's 2019 request that the city acknowledge the journey of the Komagata Maru.[30]
Then on July 22, 2023, the section of South Fraser Way in front of the Abbotsford Sikh Temple National Historic Site (also known as the Gur Sikh Temple) was commemoratively renamed Komagata Maru Way.[31] As well, three signs were installed, detailing the contributions of the Sikh community in helping to address the thirst, hunger, and ill health that many passengers of the Komagata Maru were experiencing. These commemorations were the result of work that Toor began in 2019 along with the Abbotsford Parks, Recreation & Culture department.
Toor was part of the unveiling ceremony in Mission, BC, on August 16, 2023, of a Komagata Maru interpretive sign at Jack Poole Park.[32] This sign was the result of Toor's April 19, 2021, presentation to Mission council requesting recognition of the Komagata Maru, given the importance of the South Asian community in Mission's history.[33] Mission City Council and the Mission School Board also approved a display board that is to be used to teach Mission students about the Komagata Maru incident, and about the need for respecting and valuing people of different cultures.[34][35]
In 2024, Canada Place in downtown Vancouver was co-named Komagata Maru Place.[36][37][38][39] The new signage was unveiled on February 9, 2024, following five years of advocacy by Toor.[40][41][42][43]
As well, due to lobbying efforts by Toor, May 23 is a day of remembrance for the passengers of the Komagata Maru in the province of BC and many of its municipalities. May 23, 2020, was recognized by the city of Surrey and the province of British Columbia as Komagata Maru Remembrance Day.[44] The city of New Westminster and city of Victoria declared May 23, 2021, as Komagata Maru Remembrance Day, while the city of Vancouver commemorated the day as Komagata Maru Day of Remembrance.[44] May 23, 2023, was proclaimed by the City of Mission as Komagata Maru Remembrance Day.[45] The city of Burnaby and the city of Port Coquitlam proclaimed May 23 of every year as Komagata Maru Remembrance Day.[44]
Toor has also been active in holding those in power at the time responsible for their actions. Following Toor's 2018 request to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, H. H. Stevens' name was removed from a federal building in Vancouver.[46][47][48]
Governmental apologies[edit | edit source]
In response to calls for the government of Canada to address historic wrongs involving immigration and wartime measures, the Conservative government in 2006 created the community historical recognition program to provide grant and contribution funding for community projects linked to wartime measures and immigration restrictions and a national historical recognition program to fund federal initiatives, developed in partnership with various groups. The announcement was made on June 23, 2006, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized in the House of Commons for the head tax against Chinese immigrants.[49]
On August 6, 2006, Prime Minister Harper made a speech at the Ghadri Babiyan da Mela (Festival of the Ghadar Party) in Surrey, BC, where he stated that the government of Canada acknowledged the Komagata Maru incident and announced the government's commitment to "undertake consultations with the Indo-Canadian community on how best to recognize this sad moment in Canada's history".[50] On April 3, 2008, Ruby Dhalla, MP for Brampton—Springdale, tabled motion 469 (M-469) in the House of Commons which read, "That, in the opinion of the House, the government should officially apologize to the Indo-Canadian community and to the individuals impacted in the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, in which passengers were prevented from landing in Canada."[51] On May 10, 2008, Jason Kenney, Secretary of State (Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity), announced the Indo-Canadian community would be able to apply for up to $2.5 million in grants and contributions funding to commemorate the Komagata Maru incident.[52] Following further debate on May 15, 2008, Dhalla's motion was passed by the House of Commons.[53]
On May 23, 2008, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia unanimously passed a resolution "that this Legislature apologizes for the events of May 23, 1914, when 376 passengers of the Komagata Maru, stationed off Vancouver harbour, were denied entry by Canada. The House deeply regrets that the passengers, who sought refuge in our country and our province, were turned away without benefit of the fair and impartial treatment befitting a society where people of all cultures are welcomed and accepted."[54]
On August 3, 2008, Harper appeared at the 13th annual Ghadri Babiyan Da Mela (festival) in Surrey, B.C., to issue an apology for the Komagata Maru incident. He said, in response to the House of Commons motion calling for an apology by the government, "On behalf of the government of Canada, I am officially conveying as prime minister that apology."[55]
Some members of the Sikh community were unsatisfied with the apology because they expected it to be made in Parliament. Secretary of State Jason Kenney said: "The apology has been given and it won't be repeated".[56]
Before Prime Minister Harper made his statement about the tragedy (at the Mela Ghadri Babiyan Da), members of the Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation had insisted the apology during an election swing through Surrey was not enough, and that a formal apology in Parliament was required (this was a part of the original ask by the Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation). Mr. Harper's team was not willing to make that offer, and he was roundly booed at the festival by foundation members when he did make his statement. The foundation continued in its efforts to obtain an apology, and eventually worked with the government of Justin Trudeau to make it a reality. Trudeau promised an apology in the House of Commons before he was elected PM, and kept that promise in 2016, when he offered an official apology in the House of Commons.
To members of the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation only an official apology in Parliament, and written into Hansard, was acceptable. The apology, according to the group (and many legal experts they worked with) had to be entered into the public record - the record of the House of Commons - or it was just empty words. It was important to the group that future generations would have that record, and the apology didn't just disappear in a pile of press releases and web stories.
The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own), which was involved in the expulsion of the Komagata Maru, was commanded by a Sikh, Harjit Sajjan, from 2011 until 2014. He later became Minister of National Defence.[57]
On May 18, 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a formal "full apology" for the incident in the House of Commons.[58][59][60] This formal apology came about due to lobbying from the Indo-Canadian community, such as the work done by the Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (as specifically noted in the Prime Minister's speech) and The Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society.[61][62][63][64]
On May 18, 2021, due to lobbying efforts of Raj Singh Toor, Vancouver City Council said that they "sincerely apologize for the role the City played in the incident, especially supporting laws that prevented passengers from disembarking".[65] Also due to lobbying efforts of Toor, New Westminster City Council acknowledged on September 27, 2021, that the city's "...formal support of discriminatory, racist and exclusionary legislation contributed to the plight of the passengers of the Komagata Maru, both in Canadian waters and upon their return to India."[66] Consequently, "The City of New Westminster formally apologizes to the South Asian community and the descendants of the survivors of the Komagata Maru for its past actions which resulted in discrimination and exclusion."[67]
Media[edit | edit source]
Jeevan Sangram is a 1974 Indian Hindi-language action-drama film directed by Rajbans Khanna. Based on the Komagata Maru incident it follows Arjun on board the ship and his return to India thereafter where he escapes the firing at the harbour and becomes a rebel against British rule in India.[68]
The first Canadian play based on the incident is The Komagata Maru Incident, written by Sharon Pollock and presented in January 1976.[69] It was presented again in 2017 by the Stratford Festival, directed by Keira Loughran, starring Kiran Ahluwalia.
The first Canadian novel based on the incident is Lions of the Sea, written by Jessi Thind and published in 2001.[70] In 2011 Diana Lobb cited Lions of the Sea as one of the first fictionalized South Asian perspectives on the Komagata Maru in her philosophical dissertation presented to the University of Waterloo.[71] Several friends of the author suggested the title of the novel for the Sikh Heritage Museum of Canada Komagata Maru exhibition in 2014 which was subsequently titled "Lions of the Sea: The National Komagata Maru Exhibition."[72]
Ajmer Rode wrote the play Komagata Maru based on the incident in 1984. In 1989, when Indo-Canadian community of British Columbia commemorated the 75th anniversary of the Komagata Maru, Sadhu Binning and Sukhwant Hundal wrote a play Samundari Sher Nal Takkar (The Battle with the Sealion) and co-edited and produced first issue of Punjabi literary magazine Watan on the Komagata Maru incident. Phinder Dulai wrote A Letter To The Maru – 1914–1994. The letter was a fictionalized narrative utilizing both public record documentation and archival material; the piece ran in 1998 in an issue of Rungh Magazine.
Can You Hear the Nightbird Call? is a 2006 novel by the Indo-Canadian writer Anita Rau Badami, it follows a woman named Bibi-ji who retraces her father's steps during the incident in Canada, with the plot being linked with other contemporary issues in India. Oh Canada, Oh Komagata Maru is a 2012 play by Alia Rehana Somani which explores memories of the incident among the Indo-Canadian community.[68]
In 2004, Ali Kazimi's feature documentary Continuous Journey was released. This is the first in-depth film to examine the events surrounding the turning-away of the Komagata Maru. The primary source research done for the film led to the discovery of rare film footage of the ship in Vancouver harbour. Eight years in the making, Continuous Journey has won over ten awards, including the Most Innovative Canadian Documentary at DOXA, Vancouver 2005, and a Golden Conch at the Mumbai International Film Festival, 2006. Also in 2006, Kazimi assisted broadcaster Jowi Taylor in obtaining a piece of red cedar from Jack Uppal's Goldwood Industries, the first Sikh-owned timber mill in British Columbia, as a way of bringing the Komagata Maru story and the story of Sikhs in Canada into the Six String Nation project. Parts of this wood now serve as kerfing strips on either side of the end block in the interior of Voyageur, the guitar at the heart of the project.[73]
The CBC radio play Entry Denied, by the Indo-Canadian scriptwriter Sugith Varughese focuses on the incident.
In 2012, filmmaker Ali Kazimi's book Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru was published by Douglas & McIntyre.[74]
In 2014, dream / arteries, written by Phinder Dulai, was published by Talon Books. The poetry book begins with a suite of poems that utilize archival records, public repositories, and online uploaded material never published before, including new photographs of the Komagata Maru from the Vancouver Public Library.[75]
Simon Fraser University Library launched a website Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey in 2012 funded by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the auspices of the Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP). This website contains information and documents related to the Komagata Maru incident and a timeline that unfolds the details and supports teaching, research and knowledge about the Komagata Maru for school-aged, post-secondary and general audiences.[76]
In 2010 - First Komagata Maru Memorial Youth Hockey Tournament was held in Hong Kong by Punjab Youth Club (HK) in the memory of Komagata Incident. From 2011 Punjab Youth Club (HK) made in annual. In year 2023 13th KGM Memorial Hockey tournament was held in Hong Kong
Film and Literature[edit | edit source]
Guru Nanak Jahaz, a Punjabi film based on the Komagata Maru incident and the murder of William C. Hopkinson was released in May 2025. It stars Gurpreet Ghuggi as Baba Gurdit Singh, Tarsem Jassar as Mewa Singh Lopoke and Edward Sonnenblick as William C. Hopkinson.[77][78][77][79]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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See also[edit | edit source]
- Human rights in Canada
- Anti-Sikh sentiment in Canada
- Ukrainian Canadian internment
- Anti-German sentiment in Victoria 1914
- MS St. Louis, another vessel carrying immigrants denied entry to North America
- MV Sun Sea incident
- British protected person
- Indo-Canadians in Greater Vancouver
- Mewa Singh Lopoke
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Para 30 of Report of the Komagata Maru Committee of Inquiry states that 20 Sikhs, 2 Europeans, 2 Punjab Police Officers and 2 locals died in the riots[1] 75 by witnesses present[citation needed]
- ↑ According to Baba Gurdit Singh, documents pertaining to the ship were published beforehand in the Post Office Gazette. On examining his papers, the police didn't find anything objectionable.[7]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Report of the Komagata Maru Committee of Inquiry and Some Further Documents. Unistar Books and Punjab Centre for Migration Studies. 2007. p. 74. ISBN 9788189899349. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Johnston, Hugh J. M. The Voyage of the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge to Canada's Colour Bar. Delhi: Oxford_University_Press. 1979.
- ↑ Canada, Library Archives (January 8, 1908). "Immigrants debarred from landing in Canada who do not come from country of citizenship in through tickets by continuous journey - Min. Int. [Minister of the Interior], 1908/01/03". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ↑ "150 years of immigration in Canada". Statistics Canada. June 29, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
Record numbers of immigrants were admitted in the early 1900s when Canada was promoting the settlement of Western Canada. The highest number ever recorded was in 1913, when more than 400,000 immigrants arrived in the country.
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 Bains, Satwinder Kaur; Gurm, Balbir, eds. (2022). A Social History of South Asians in British Columbia. Abbotsford, British Columbia: University of the Fraser Valley.
- ↑ "Government form of time charter-party, Hong Kong [Agreement between A. Bune, Agent for the Owners of the Komagata Maru, and Gurdit Singh, charterer]". March 24, 1914. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Singh, Gurdit (2007). "Canada's Hideous Crime Under Cover of Law". Voyage of Komagata Maru or India's Slavery Abroad. Unistar and Punjab Centre for Migration Studies. p. 74. ISBN 9788189899332. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ↑ "These Muslims challenged Canada's immigration ban in 1914 - iHistory". iHistory. June 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
- ↑ Re Munshi Singh (1914), 20 B.C.R. 243 (B.C.C.A.)
- ↑ Brown, Emily C. (1975). Har Dayal: Hindu Revolutionary and Humanist. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. p. 195. ISBN 9780816504220. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ↑ House of Commons Debates: Official Report (Hansard)- Wednesday, April 2, 2008 (PDF). Vol. 142 (70 ed.). Ottawa: Government of Canada. 2008. p. 4395. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
On July 19, the angry passengers fought back with the only weapons they had. They were not armed. The quote from The Sun in Vancouver read: 'Howling masses of Hindus showered policemen with lumps of coal and bricks...it was like standing underneath a coal chute.'
- ↑ House of Commons Debates: Official Report (Hansard)- Wednesday, April 2, 2008 (PDF). Vol. 142 (70 ed.). Ottawa: Government of Canada. 2008. p. 4395. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ↑ Chakraborty, Subhas Ranjan. "The Tragic Journey of the Komagata Maru". The Institute for Human Sciences (IWM). Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ↑ Popplewell, Richard J. (1995). "North America, 1905-14". Intelligence and Imperial Defence: British Intelligence and the Defence of the Indian Empire, 1904-1924. Frank Cass. p. 160. ISBN 9780714645803. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
- ↑ Chang, Kornel (2012). Pacific Connections. University of California Press. p. 147. ISBN 9780520271692.
- ↑ Chakraborti Lahiri, Samhita (September 26, 2010). "Ship of Defiance". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ Singh, Gurvinder (June 27, 2015). "New building to honour Komagata Maru martyrs". No. Kolkata. The Statesman. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
- ↑ IANS (September 30, 2015). "India commemorating 100 years of Komagata Maru". The Hindu. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Gian S Kotli".
- ↑ "Komagata Maru memorial approved for Vancouver". CBC News. March 1, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Komagata Maru Museum Official Website". Khalsa Diwan Society Vancouver. Archived from the original on July 4, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Hager, Mike (July 24, 2012). "Komagata Maru passengers remembered with Vancouver monument". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ↑ "Komagata Maru: Booklet of 6 International Stamps". Canada Post. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Raj Singh Toor". South Asian Canadian Heritage. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ↑ "Surrey unveils Komagata Maru Way signs". Surrey Now-Leader. July 31, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ↑ "New Storyboard Honours Victims of Komagata Maru | City of Surrey". www.surrey.ca. October 6, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ "Signs commemorating Komagata Maru coming to North Delta Social Heart Plaza". Surrey Now-Leader. December 16, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ↑ Press Release. "City of New Westminster unveils Komagata Maru interpretive plaque". City of New Westminster Website. City of New Westminster. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Port Moody unveils storyboard commemorating Komagata Maru, aid efforts of Sikh community". City of Port Moody Website. City of Port Moody. November 9, 2022. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ↑ Hui, Vikki (July 11, 2023). "New sign acknowledges Richmond's role in Komagata Maru tragedy". Richmond News. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
- ↑ Peters, Jessica (July 24, 2023). "Komagata Maru Way: A new street name signals hope in Abbotsford". The Abbotsford News. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ↑ White, Dillon (August 17, 2023). "Mission unveils sign commemorating Komagata Maru incident". Mission City Record. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ↑ Penner, Patrick (April 21, 2021). "Mission to honour Komagata Maru passengers, after descendant speaks before council". Mission City Record. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ↑ "City of Mission proclaims May 23, 2023, as Komagata Maru Remembrance Day". The Indo-Canadian Voice. May 23, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ↑ "The Komagata Maru Incident Display Board" (PDF). The Indo-Canadian Voice. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ↑ "Prominent Vancouver street given 2nd name in honour of Komagata Maru ship". CBC. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Vancouver unveils street signs for Komagata Maru Place". Vancouver Sun. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Canada Place given secondary name and signage honouring Komagata Maru passengers". Global News. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ↑ "Honorary Komagata Maru street signs unveiled near Vancouver Harbour". CTV News. February 9, 2024. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
- ↑ Kulkarni, Akshay (February 9, 2024). "Prominent Vancouver street given 2nd name in honour of Komagata Maru ship". CBC News. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ↑ Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (February 10, 2024). "Vancouver unveils street signs in honour of Komagata Maru ship". Hindustan Times. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ Team Link (February 17, 2024). "Canada Place given secondary, honorary name of Komagata Maru Place". Link Newspaper. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ "Komagata Maru Place". City of Vancouver Website. City of Vancouver. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 "Proclamations". Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society. May 23, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ↑ White, Dillon (May 19, 2023). "Mission proclaims May 23 Komagata Maru Remembrance Day". Mission City Record. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ↑ Nair, Roshini (August 9, 2019). "Harry Stevens' name stripped from federal building in Vancouver over Komagata Maru". CBC News. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ↑ "Government of Canada removes Harry Stevens' name from building in Vancouver, B.C." (Press release). Government of Canada. Public Services and Procurement Canada. August 29, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Name of politician behind Komagata Maru incident removed from federal building in Vancouver". Global News Hour at 6. August 9, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ↑ [1] Archived May 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ [2]. The Mela Ghadri Babiyan da is an annual festival that is run by the British Columbia based Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation (Canada). The Professor Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation ran a quarter century campaign with the very specific goal of extracting apologies for this historic injustice from the British Columbia and Canadian Governments. The Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation has worked with various groups who have suffered historic wrongs in Canada - including Indigenous nations, Chinese head-tax groups, Japanese internment groups, etc. The foundation also lobbied various MPs and MLAs in multiple provinces to work apologies through those legislatures. Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Government of Canada (April 2, 2008). "Journals". House of Commons of Canada (70). Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ [3] Archived November 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine [4]
- ↑ Government of Canada (May 15, 2008). "Journals". House of Commons of Canada (96). Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Votes and Proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia". Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. May 23, 2008. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ "PM apologizes for 1914 Komagata Maru Incident". August 6, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Sikhs unhappy with PM's Komagata Maru apology". CTV News. August 3, 2008. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Roberts, Nadine (May 24, 2014). "B.C. regiment that once forced out the Komagata Maru is now commanded by a Sikh". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ "Gurpreet Singh: Komagata Maru apology campaigners gearing up to thank Trudeau at annual festival in Surrey". August 2019.
- ↑ "PM to offer full apology for Komagata Maru incident". April 11, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ↑ "Justin Trudeau apologizes in House for 1914 Komagata Maru incident". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Komagata Maru descendants speak ahead of Trudeau's apology". Global News. May 17, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
- ↑ "Komagata Maru apology in the House of Commons". May 20, 2016.
- ↑ "DARPAN's Newsmaker of 2016: Sahib Thind".
- ↑ "Jenny Kwan's Statement on the Komagata Maru incident and Canada's apology". December 22, 2023.
- ↑ Vancouver, City of. "Vancouver City Council apologizes for Komagata Maru racism". vancouver.ca. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ↑ "City of New Westminster Apology to the Community, Families and Descendants of the Komagata Maru" (PDF). City of New Westminster Archive Files. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ↑ "New Westminster apologizes for role in Komagata Maru incident". New Westminster Record. September 28, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ↑ 68.0 68.1 Kumar, Anu (September 27, 2019). "Films about Komagata Maru's Indian passengers remind us of struggles of refugees around the world". Scroll.in. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ↑ "The Komagata Maru Incident". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia. July 24, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
- ↑ Lions of the Sea. Nalanda University Press. November 4, 2003. ISBN 9781412217385.
- ↑ "Canadian Literatures Beyond the Colour Line" (PDF). University of Waterloo.
- ↑ "Lions of the Sea Exhibition". Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ↑ Jowi., Taylor (2009). Six string nation : 64 pieces, 6 strings, 1 Canada, 1 guitar. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 9781553653936. OCLC 302060380.
- ↑ "Douglas & McIntyre Publishers". www.dmpibooks.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ↑ "dream / arteries » Books » Talonbooks". talonbooks.com. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
- ↑ "Komagata Maru Journey". komagatamarujourney.ca. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
- ↑ 77.0 77.1 "Guru Nanak Jahaz Trailer Unveiled: A Gripping Tale of Sacrifice, Struggle & Forgotten Historyurl=https://www.thepollywood.com/guru-nanak-jahaz-trailer-unveiled-a-gripping-tale-of-sacrifice-struggle-forgotten-history/access-date=2025-04-26". The Pollywood .com. ISSN 0971-8257.
- ↑ "Punjabi Cinema Goes Global with Hollywood Stars Edward Sonnenblick and Mark Bennington". India News Calling. April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Punjabi Cinema Goes Global with Hollywood Stars Edward Sonnenblick and Mark Bennington". India News Calling. April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Ferguson, Ted, A White Man's Country (Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 1975)
- Johnston, Hugh J. M., The Voyage of the Komagata Maru: the Sikh Challenge to Canada's Colour Bar. (Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1979)
- Josh, Sohan Singh, "Tragedy of the Komagata Maru" (New Delhi: People's Publishing House, 1975)
- Kazimi, Ali, Continuous Journey, feature-length documentary about the Komagata Maru. 2004
- Kazimi, Ali (2011). Undesirables: White Canada and the Komagata Maru. Vancouver: D&M Publishers. ISBN 978-1553659730.
- McKelvie, B. A., "Magic, Murder and Mystery", (Duncan, B.C., Cowichan Leader, 1965)
- Morse, Eric Wilton. "Some Aspects of the Komagata Maru Affair." Canadian Historical Association Report (1936). p. 100-109.
- Reid, Robie L., "The Inside Story of the Komagata Maru" in British Columbia Historical Quarterly, Vol V, No. 1, January 1941, p. 4
- Report of the Komagata Maru Inquiry (Calcutta, 1914)
- Singh, Baba Gurdit, "Voyage of the Komagatamaru: or India's Slavery Abroad" (Calcutta; n.d.)
- Singh, Jaswant, "Baba Gurdit Singh: Komagatamaru" (Jullundur; New Book Co., 1965) [written in Gurmukhi]
- Singh, Kesar, Canadian Sikhs (Part One) and Komagata Maru Massacre. Surrey, B.C.: 1989.
- Singh, Malwindarjit, and Singh, Harinder, War against King Emperor: Ghadr of 1914–15: A verdict by special tribunal (Ludhiana: Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Trust, 2001)
- Somani, Alia Rehana. "Broken Passages and Broken Promises: Reconstructing the Komagata Maru and Air India Cases" (PhD thesis) (Archive). School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Western Ontario, 2012.
- Ward, W. Peter, "The Komagata Maru Incident" in White Canada Forever: Popular Attitudes and Public Policy toward Orientals in British Columbia. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2d ed., 1990, pp. 79–93
- Waraich, Malwinderjit Singh (ed.), Sidhu, Gurdev Singh (ed.), Komagata Maru: A Challenge to Colonialism Key Documents (Unistar Books, 2005)
- Whitehead, Eric, Cyclone Taylor: A Hockey Legend (Toronto; Doubleday Canada, 1977), pp. 158–163
External links[edit | edit source]
- Gallery on Komagata Maru incident
- Pioneer East Asian Immigration to the Pacific Coast: Komagata Maru[usurped]
- Continuous Journey, a feature-length documentary by Ali Kazimi
- Photos: When these Indian immigrants got to Canada, police kept them on their boat for two months Archived May 17, 2022, at the Wayback Machine
- Lions of the Sea, a novel by Jessi Thind
- CBC Radio One's As It Happens aired an interview with Continuous Journey filmmaker Ali Kazimi on May 13, 2008
- "Tejpal Singh Sandhu was at Monday's meeting representing his great-grandfather Gurdit Singh Indian, who chartered the ship to travel from India to Canada."
- Komagata Maru: Continuing the Journey website by Simon Fraser University Library. A resource-rich website about the Komagata Maru story
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Komagata Maru" Archived November 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- Globe and Mail: Behind the Komagata Maru's fight to open Canada's border
- https://talonbooks.com/books/dream-arteries
- Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society Website, a site dedicated to educating people about the Komagata Maru Incident
- Films about Komagata Maru
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| Ghadar | ||
| Berlin Committee | ||
| Indian figures | ||
| German figures | ||
| Conspiracy | ||
| Counter-intelligence | ||
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