On September 28^th, a video surfaced on social media depicting masked pro-Palestinian protesters in Brampton, Canada, vandalising the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. The user Leviathan, who shared the video, identified one of the individuals involved in the defacement as Hosaam Hamdan, noted for his previous acts of vandalism against culturally significant statues.

In a post on X, the user wrote, “Frequently masked protester Hosaam Hamdan defacing a statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Brampton, a massive insult to the Sikh community as he is the first Maharaja & founder of the Sikh Empire. Hosaam Hamdan has a history of defacing statues of cultural significance, so this should not be observed as a 1-off instance.”

Sharing the video, senior correspondent for the National Telegraph, Daniel Bordman, wrote, “Jihadists in Brampton, Canada attack and deface a statue of Ranjit Singh. Ranjit Singh was the father of the Sikh Empire, the last man to successfully hold Afghanistan and generally loved by all in South Asia. This isn’t about Israel or Palestine, it’s about the destruction of everything that is not part of the Muslim Brotherhood’s worldview.”

The viral video, approximately 37 seconds in length, captures two masked Palestinian protesters on the statue of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. One of the individuals is seen tying a cloth around the horse of the statue. Multiple protesters present at the scene recorded the incident. The Peel Police have been notified and are currently investigating the matter, though no official statement has been released as of yet.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s statue has previously been a target of Islamist groups. In August 2021, a nine-foot-tall statue at Lahore Fort in Pakistan was vandalised for the third time by members of the political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). TLP workers first broke the statue’s arm before completely dislodging it. The two individuals gained access to the fort by posing as a disabled person and his aide. The man feigning a leg disability struck the statue with a rod he was carrying.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a notable and formidable Sikh ruler, renowned for successfully repelling numerous Afghan attacks in Punjab and protecting the region from invasion. Often referred to as the “Lion of Punjab,” he was the founder and first ruler of the Sikh Empire, established in the early 19^th century.

Despite losing sight in one eye due to smallpox at a young age, he emerged as an influential leader and military strategist. Maharaja Ranjit Singh consolidated a vast Sikh Empire and actively challenged the power of the Afghans, as well as resisted the expansion of the British Empire. His administration was notably inclusive, incorporating individuals from various religious backgrounds, including Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, and Europeans.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was born on November 13, 1780, in Gujranwala, Punjab (now in Pakistan). He fought his first battle at the age of 10 and soon ascended to the throne. By the age of 18, he had conquered Lahore and went on to rule for 40 years, successfully keeping the British Empire at bay and ensuring that no external forces threatened his empire.

At the age of 12, following his father’s death, the responsibility of the throne fell upon Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s young shoulders. He was officially crowned as the Maharaja of Punjab at the age of 20, on April 12, 1801. Shortly after his coronation, he annexed Amritsar into his empire in 1802. By 1807, he had defeated the Afghan ruler Qutb-ud-Din and captured Kasur. In 1818, he seized Multan, and by 1819, Kashmir was also under his control. Maharaja Ranjit Singh passed away on June 27, 1839.