Kap’s Cafe, a restaurant owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma in Surrey, British Columbia, has been shot at for the second time in less than a month. The attack, which happened early Thursday morning, has made the South Asian population in the area even more worried about the rise in violence and threats of extortion.
Information about the Attack
At least six bullet holes, broken glass, and damaged windows were found at the cafe on 85 Avenue and Scott Road. The police in Surrey came to the scene to start an investigation. The sound of shooting woke up many in the area, with one person saying they heard “five or six shots” and another saying they heard “eight gunshots.”
This most recent attack is similar to one that happened in early July, only a few days after the cafe opened. In that shooting, staff workers were inside the building, but thankfully, no one was hurt in either case.
The setting for extortion and violence
We don’t know what the reason for this most recent attack was, but the shootings at Kap’s Cafe are part of a larger pattern of violence and extortion against businesses in Surrey, especially those owned by people from the South Asian community. In July, an agent of the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) apparently took credit for the first shooting at Kap’s Cafe in a social media post, saying that Kapil Sharma’s comments were the reason. Surrey Police said they were aware of the social media posts but warned people not to “jump to conclusions.” They also said they were looking into the motives and links to prior occurrences.
Since late 2023, the South Asian community in the Greater Vancouver area has been dealing with a lot of threats of extortion. Many victims have been told to pay enormous quantities of money or face violence, including as shootings and burning. Because of the crisis, the RCMP has put together a national task team to deal with it.
After the first attack, Kapil Sharma and his crew reopened the cafe and thanked the mayor of Surrey and the local police for their help. Sharma said, “United we stand against violence.” The cafe being attacked over and over again, on the other hand, shows how these dangers are getting worse and worse.