Comedian-actor Kapil Sharma's restaurant Kap's Cafe in Canada was attacked on Thursday night. At least nine shots were reportedly fired at the premises, however no injuries were reported in the incident. Khalistani terrorist Harjit Singh Laddi has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Laddi is one of NIA's most wanted terrorists and is associated with the Babbar Khalsa International.
In a social media post, Laddi claimed that it attacked the Cafe in response to the comedian's remarks against Nihang Sikhs on his popular show, which he saw as a "mockery" of the religious sentiments of the community.
He wrote: "In an episode of Kapil Sharma's comedy show 'The Kapil Sharma Show,' a character made some humorous remarks about the dress or behaviour of Nihang Sikhs. These remarks were considered to hurt the religious sentiments of Nihang Sikhs. This mockery is a mockery of Sikh spiritual traditions and the dignity of Nihang Sikhs. No religion or spiritual identity can be made fun of in the guise of comedy."
"We tried to contact Kapil Sharma's manager by calling him several times, but there was no response from him. All our calls were ignored," Laddi said, threatening the attack if Kapil Sharma "doesn't apologise publicly."
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Firing at Kapil Sharma Cafe in Canada. The assailants reportedly arrived in a Car and fled soon after. Fortunately l, no one was injured in the incident pic.twitter.com/uccnTat4On
Kap's Cafe has now shared a post on Instagram, thanking its fans for the support and urged to stand firm against violence.
The post says: "We opened Kap's Cafe with hopes of bringing warmth, community, and joy through delicious coffee and friendly conversation. To have violence intersect with that dream is heartbreaking. We are processing this shock but we are not giving up.
Thank you for your support. Your kind words, prayers, and memories shared via DM mean more than you know. This cafe exists because of your belief in what we're building together. Let's stand firm against violence and ensure Kap's Cafe remains a place of warmth and community.
From all of us at Kap's Cafe, thank you and see you soon, under better skies."
The newly opened restaurant in Canada's Surrey came under attack at 1:50 am (local time) Thursday.
"Upon police arrival, it was quickly determined that the shots were fired towards the business, damaging the property, while staff members were still present inside," Surrey Police Service (SPS) said in a statement.
The SPS said that there were no injuries to anyone at the business.
It said "the investigation is continuing and connections to other incidents and potential motives are being examined."