Man charged in Vancouver’s Komagata Maru memorial vandalism

A charge has now been laid, but an arrest has yet to be made in connection to a graffiti incident at a memorial in Vancouver which left the community shaken.

In August, the Komagata Maru memorial was defaced with paint, hand prints, and graffiti in Coal Harbour.

Vancouver police say the incident wasn’t immediately reported to them, but they were able to gather evidence and identify a suspect through the assistance of social media.

Four months later, police say the BC Prosecution Service approved one count of mischief against 39-year-old Yuniar Kurniawan. A B.C.-wide warrant has been issued for his arrest.

“This crime reverberated throughout the community because of what this memorial reveals about our past and the steps we have taken to become a more inclusive community,” Sgt. Steve Addison said in Vancouver Police Department release.

Addison adding, “We promised to do everything in our power to solve this crime, and we’re pleased that evidence has led us to a criminal charge.”

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The memorial includes the names of nearly 400 people who sailed to Vancouver from India in 1914 but were not admitted to land because of racist policies.

After two months of little food and fresh water, the vessel was forced to return to India, where 19 of the passengers were killed in a skirmish with British authorities and dozens of others were imprisoned or forced into hiding.

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The City of Vancouver, New Westminster as well as the federal government, have all apologized to those victims, as well as the families.

The memorial was placed in Downtown Vancouver in 2013 to serve as a reminder of the dark chapter in the city’s history.

Sikhs aboard the Komagata Maru, 1914. (Courtesy: Vancouver Public Library, Flickr)

When it was discovered defaced, it left many shaken and upset, including Jindi Singh, who spoke with CityNews in August.

His great great uncle was among those who were blocked from disembarking in Canada, and he came across the vandalism.

“We were quite devastated. I was explaining to my children the history of the Komagata Maru, what it meant to the South Asian community here in Canada as part of our history — as as part of their history — and then to come here and see this vile defacing of this very important memorial was quite upsetting,” he said.

Files from Vanessa Doban and Martin MacMahon