The cafe was reopened on July 20, after comedian Kapil Sharma’s firing on ‘Caps Cafe’ located in Surrey, Canada, on July 20. Kapil shared the cafe post on Instagram story and wrote, “Team @Thekapscafe is proud.” The Cafe’s post wrote, “Caps Cafe is opening again. We missed you and are grateful to your love and support. We are opening the doors again, ready to welcome you with warmth and care. Meet from 8 to 10 pm.” The cafe is the first restaurant enterprise of Kapil and his wife Ginni Chatrath, which was opened on 4 July.
No one was injured in the firing incident, but 10 bullet marks and a glass were found broken in the cafe window. According to Surrey police, the incident took place at 1:50 pm when some employees were present in the cafe. According to Indian media, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant Bahjit Singh Laddi took responsibility for the attack. Laddi, which is in the Most Wanted List of NIA, claimed that the comments made about Nihang Sikhs on Kapil’s show hurt their religious sentiments. However, the police have not yet confirmed the claim and investigation is on.
Cafe said in an emotional statement, “We opened the Caps Cafe for community, warmth and happiness. The heart is going to break the dream affected by violence. We are recovering from this shock, but not giving up.” He thanked the community and Surrey police for support. Surrey’s Mayor Branda Lock condemned the incident and expressed concern over sharing videos of the attack on social media.
The police have started investigating CCTV footage and evidence, but no suspects have been arrested yet. The incident is under the link of increasing attacks on South Asian community businesses in Surrey, where incidents of extortion and violence remain a matter of concern.