“The city recognises the Guru Nanak Jahaz passengers' pursuit of dignity, equal opportunity, and justice,"
Canada Marks Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day to Honor Komagata Maru Passengers Latest News: The city council of Surrey in British Columbia, Canada, has decided to honour the 352 Indian passengers aboard a Japanese ship named Komagata Maru. This ship arrived in Canada in 1914, but they were not allowed to enter the country.
The city declared July 23 as "Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day."
According to a Times of India report citing the council’s proclamation, the day was named after Guru Nanak Jahaz and is being observed to mark the 111th anniversary of the ship being forced to return.
At that time, Canadian authorities claimed that the Indian passengers on the Komagata Maru were sent back because they were suspected of being revolutionaries. However, many believe the real reason for rejecting them was racism and discriminatory immigration laws.
Earlier, the City Council of Vancouver had declared May 23 as the Guru Nanak Jahaz (Komagata Maru) Day of Remembrance, as it was on this date that the ship reached Burrard Inlet near Vancouver with 376 Indians, of whom 340 were Sikhs, 24 Muslims, and 12 Hindus.
Only 24 of the 376 could prove prior residency and were allowed to enter the country.
The ship carrying the passengers, which was denied disembarkation under exclusionary immigration laws, was ultimately forced to depart from Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet on July 23, 1914.
“Today, descendants and communities across Canada remember this journey as a courageous stand against colonialism at home, only to be met with discrimination and injustice upon arrival,” the proclamation is quoted as saying in the TOI report.
“The city recognises the Guru Nanak Jahaz passengers’ pursuit of dignity, equal opportunity, and justice, which faced discrimination under the Continuous Journey law. Their legacy stands as a continuous inspiration to fight against injustice,” said the proclamation.
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, has one of the largest Sikh populations outside India. As of the 2021 Canadian Census, Surrey is home to approximately 154,415 Sikhs, making up about 27.4% of the city's total population.
(For more news apart from "Canada Marks Guru Nanak Jahaz Remembrance Day to Honor Komagata Maru Passengers,” stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman)
