Surrey considering naming a street after the Komagata Maru

Raj Singh Toor — whose grandfather was one of the hundreds of migrants on board the Komagata Maru more than a century ago — wants the City of Surrey to name a street in honour of the passengers.

Toor says dedicating a street to the Indian migrants who were left to sit on the ship off the coast of Vancouver for two months before they were denied entry to Canada will serve as a learning tool for the public.

"During the tragedy, those passengers suffered a lot," he said.

"Their sacrifice and their struggles should be recognized."

The Komagata Maru arrived on Canada's West Coast on May 23, 1914 with 376 passengers. It was ultimately forced to return to India, where it was met by British soldiers.

Twenty passengers were killed and others, including Toor's grandfather, Puran Singh Janetpur, were jailed following an ensuing riot.

Toor will make a presentation to Surrey's Heritage Advisory Commission Wednesday evening. If he wins the commission's support, the proposal will then go to council at a later date for final approval.

"If the City of Surrey is going to recognize them with the name of any street in Surrey, in memory of those passengers, the families are going to be very happy," he said. "Passengers were getting sick and they had very, very hard times."

He says Surrey is an appropriate location for the tribute because of its large South Asian population.