Sunday's pitched battle at a Sikh temple in Brampton can be traced to a bitter conflict over politics and the control of millions of dollars.
When two warring groups clashed at the Guru Nanak Sikh Centre, turbans flew and blows were exchanged before machetes, hammers and construction knives were brandished. Four people were injured and three were charged with assault. Each side said the other incited the violence.
It was the most extreme example of internal conflict at a Sikh temple in the Toronto area in recent times but it was by no means the only one. Few of the almost two-dozen Sikh temples in the Toronto area have been untouched by controversies, mostly pertaining to different factions vying for control.
Currently there is a power struggle at four temples, including Ontario Khalsa Darbar at Derry and Dixie Rds. in Mississauga, one of the largest temples in Canada.
"It's all about greed," said Sandeep Brar, amateur historian and creator of www.sikhmuseum.com. "The congregation is growing rapidly and much money is being offered at the temples. The issue at heart here is who controls the money."
At stake are millions of dollars.
Ontario's Sikh community, pegged at about 105,000, is relatively well-to-do and, in terms of charitable giving, extraordinarily generous. Anyone can worship at the temple anytime and services are followed by communal meals open to all.
At each temple is at least one donation box. As a result, most temples are rich.
The Guru Nanak Sikh Centre, for example, has assets worth more than $30 million and annual offerings of more than $2 million, said Nachhattar Chohan, one of the board members who have taken temple management to court. "There is no transparency, no accountability," he said.
No one will talk openly about it but there have been rumblings of misappropriation of funds at temples for years.
In 2008, a YouTube video surfaced showing a board member at Guru Nanak Sikh Centre stuffing his pockets while counting money donated by the congregation. "There was outrage among the community but the temple management then said it was a fabrication," said Rajinder Sandhu, now a board member.
Apart from money, temples, that are well attended every weekend and on special occasions, are also a platform to promote political agendas.
"It doesn't sound (like) much, but it's very important," said Gurdev Mann, president of the North York Sikh Temple, which is not affiliated with any umbrella Sikh organization.
Temple managements decide which politicians to invite to events which thousands attend, added Mann. "It's all about who they want to give the platform to. If it's a politician management doesn't care for, they'll ask him to speak at a time when few people are there."
The Guru Nanak Sikh Centre, with the largest congregation in the province, is considered a Liberal stronghold even though some temples unofficially banned MPs Navdeep Bains and Ruby Dhalla after they voted in favour of same-sex marriages about five years ago.
Being connected with temples is also a status symbol, said Balraj Deol, editor of Khabarnama, a Brampton Punjabi weekly. "You are considered important and influential ... People will do anything for it."
Some even resort to violence, as recent events have shown.
Pritpal Singh, 46, understands that people have differences, but "violence inside temples is unacceptable to people."
Singh was at the Glidden Rd. temple when the fight broke out. "I tried to stop some people who were hitting others with hammers and machetes but they started hitting me instead."
He was bruised and has a cut on his forehead, but that's not what really bothers him. "Violence bothers me. Temples should be free of controversy. They should be what they are meant to be: Places of worship."
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