Vancouver police probe Komagata Maru Memorial vandalism after smashing of Olympic cauldron

Police are investigating another instance of vandalism of the Komagata Maru Memorial on Vancouver's downtown waterfront and looking into whether it's connected to the recent smashing of the nearby Olympic cauldron.

The VPD launched the investigation Tuesday after learning from a social media post that the glass on the memorial in Coal Harbour had been shattered. 

Const. Jason Doucette said police are looking at any links to the "similar crime'' at the Olympic cauldron less than 200 metres away, where glass sections were smashed on Saturday morning.

The Komagata Maru Memorial lists the names of almost 400 people aboard a ship of the same name that sailed from India to Vancouver in 1914, only to be denied entry to Canada even though they were British subjects.

It's the second time in 14 months the memorial has been vandalized. Last August, it was defaced with white paint and hand prints. A man was arrested and charged with mischief over the earlier incident.

"We don't just want to find the person who did this, but also understand why this cherished memorial was targeted,'' said Doucette in a news release about the latest attack.