Calendar Commemorates the 100th Anniversary of the Komagata Maru

VANCOUVER, BC (January 29, 2014)— A calendar dedicated to the centenary of the Komagata Maru episode was released in the Lower Mainland over the weekend.

Issued by the Indo Canadian Workers’ Association (ICWA), it bears the picture of passengers aboard Komagata Maru ship forced to return to Incia by the Canadian government 100 years ago under discriminatory immigration legislation.

The vessel was charted by Gurdit Singh with more 350 South Asian passengers aboard who were travelling to Canada for a better livelihood in 1914.

Passengers were not allowed to disembark and were forced to return on July 23, 1914, under the shadow of guns.

Canadian authorities now acknowledge that it was a discriminatory act.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the episode in 2008, and the British Columbia legislative assembly has passed a motion of apology.

The calendar, which carries other important dates related to the history of South Asian political activists in Canada, was unveiled by Raj Toor, a member of a group representing descendants of the Komagata Maru passengers, along with NDP MP Jinny Sims and NDP MLA Harry Bains.

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Originally published by straight.com

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