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On May 23, 1914, the SS Komagata Maru, a steamship carrying 376 passengers of Punjabi passengers – largely Sikhs but also some Hindus and Muslims – arrived on the west coast of the Dominion of Canada.
Based on laws implemented to limit the immigration of Indians, Canadian officials deemed the passengers illegal arrivants, and consequently, the ship and its passengers were refused entry and detained for two months on Vancouver Harbour.
The ship was eventually forced to depart for Calcutta, with 340 passengers, with the exception of the ship’s doctor and his family (given priority passage on another ship), and the remaining twenty passengers, granted entry into Canada since they were considered returnees.
Let’s dive into the history and get some context. In the early 1900s, Indian immigrants began arriving in British Columbia, hoping to make a better life for themselves and their families.
The first immigrants were mainly young men, who found jobs in agriculture, fishing, and forestry. Many of the arrivals were planning to make money and return to India, but others intended to settle in Canada and bring their families over once they had enough to support them.
