Komagata Maru Incident and Stephen Harper

South Asian community: The Liberal promise came after the South Asian community rejected an apology from then-PM Stephen Harper, which was delivered during a speech at a festival in B.C. The Komagata Maru incident that began on May 23, 1914 is considered a longstanding injustice among members of Canada South Asian community, according to CTV. At the time, the Canadian government refused to allow 376 Indians to come ashore as landed immigrants in B.C. The Indian immigrants, who were primarily Sikhs from British India Punjab province, were left stranded on the boat for two months, thereby denying them official landed immigrant status. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apology for the Komagata Maru incident comes eight years after the Liberals first pledged to acknowledge the incident in the House of Commons. The vessel was eventually forced to return to India, where a conflict with British officials led to the deaths of 19 passengers. York University professor and writer Ali Kazimi says there are "many layers" to the Komagata Maru incident. "In many ways, the government of Canada acted beyond the rule of law," Kazimi told CTV News Channel. Many others were forced into hiding as a result. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.