The president of the Bharat Mata Mandir in Brampton, Ontario, has requested increased police protection after receiving threats following a recent attack on a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Jeff Lal, the temple president, stated in a letter to Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah that he fears for his safety and that of his family, citing threatening phone calls and a social media post calling for his arrest.
The threats emerged in the wake of a violent attack on the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton on November 3, 2024. Lal, originally from Fiji, contacted Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and requested police reinforcement for his temple after learning of the attack. He was in Burlington on business at the time and arrived at the Bharat Mata Mandir after the violence had occurred.
According to Lal’s letter, the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) posted about him on X, accusing him of “offering free swords to attack Sikhs” and calling for his arrest. Lal is also described in the post as an “aide” to Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre and a party “nominee.”
The Greater Toronto Area, encompassing the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York, contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The region’s population was estimated at 7,670,678 in 2024, making it Canada’s most populous metropolitan area and the seventh-largest in North America. The GTA’s economy generated a nominal GDP of CA$522.38 billion (US$417.9 billion) in 2022.
Peel Regional Police have not yet responded to Lal’s request for increased security, and the investigation into the threats remains ongoing. The Bharat Mata Mandir continues to operate, but Lal has expressed concern for the safety of devotees.
