A cartoon carried by Canadian publications showing the country’s Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan stewing in a cauldron has sparked outrage among members of the Sikh community in Canada. They said it resembled images of Sikh religious figures who were tortured.
Sajjan, 46, recently drew criticism and had to apologise publicly for overstating his role in Canada’s Operation Medusa, a pivotal 2006 battle in Afghanistan, while speaking during his visit to India last month.
The Edmonton Sun and other Postmedia publications carried the controversial cartoon, drawn by Toronto Sun cartoonist Tim Dolighan, in which Sajjan is shown stewing in a cauldron labelled “lies”, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Postmedia later apologised for the political graphic that sparked outrage among members of Alberta’s Sikh community. Critics said the caricature was offensive because it resembles images of historic Sikh religious figures who were tortured.
“I was disgusted. And then I kind of felt sad as well that a prominent news outlet in the country would do so and would play with the religious sensitivities of the community [which is] an integral part of the society here in Canada,” said Harpreet Gill, who is on the executive committee of the Gurdwara Siri Guru Singh Sabha.
Gill was quoted as saying that the cartoon bears a “striking resemblance” to the fifth Sikh master, Guru Arjan Dev, who was forced to sit on a hot plate after speaking up for minorities. He said the graphic prompted similar criticism on social media in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver, with demands for an apology.
The World Sikh Organisation of Canada said the depiction of the defence minister resembled an iconic image of a martyr who was boiled to death. Harmen Singh Kandola, an Edmonton board member of the World Sikh Organisation, said the image immediately reminded him of a “famous iconic image from Sikh history” in which Bhai Daval Das, a follower of the ninth guru Teg Bahadur, was boiled alive.
Postmedia responded to the criticism in the Letters to the Editor section of the Calgary Sun, saying, “The cartoon was not meant to insult Sikhs. It was a pun on the minister stewing in his own lies. We’re sorry if it was misinterpreted.”
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