OTTAWA (AFP) — Authorities backed off Wednesday from deporting a paralyzed Sikh refused refugee status in Canada after hundreds of supporters blocked a temple where he has sought sanctuary, Canadian media said.
Before dawn almost 250 people gathered outside the gates of Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in a Vancouver suburb to prevent Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) officials from taking Laibar Singh into custody.
"For today, there will be no removal," his attorney Zool Suleman told the crowd after temple representatives met with CBSA officials and police, according to the Vancouver Sun.
Federal officials agreed to treat the Sikh temple as a sanctuary, just one day after ordering his deportation, he said.
CBSA spokeswoman Paula Shore told AFP: "The federal government does not condone individuals hiding in places of worship to avoid removal from Canada," and vowed to eventually enforce a removal order.
"We are certainly committed to enforcing a removal order against people who are inadmissible to Canada," she said, refusing to comment specifically on Singh's case because of Canadian privacy laws.
"Hiding in a place of worship does not influence that decision."
However, "in cases where there are health concerns, Border Services always consults with medical professionals and rely on their expertise to determine if a person is in a condition to travel," she added.
Singh, 48, has been living at the temple since his refugee claim was denied in December.
He was scheduled to be deported last month, but the CBSA delayed its first attempt after more than 1,000 people protested at Vancouver airport, blocking traffic and causing delays.
Singh came to Canada in 2003 on a forged passport, and suffered a massive stroke three years later that left him quadriplegic and unable to care for himself.
He has since argued that he will die if he is deported to India because he would be unable to get proper medical care.
"There is a strong community will supporting Laibar Singh from a broad-based series of sources to stay in Canada on humanitarian grounds," his lawyer Zool Suleman told reporters.
Police in Punjab have accused him of links to separatist militants.
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