The Komagata Maru incident of 1914 stands as one of the most significant events in South Asian diaspora history, symbolizing both the injustice of racial exclusion and the community's resistance to discrimination. This episode reverberated across the Pacific, influencing immigration policy, anti-colonial activism, and community consciousness.

The Japanese steamship Komagata Maru was chartered by Gurdit Singh, a Punjabi businessman, to challenge Canada's discriminatory immigration laws. The ship carried 376 passengers, mostly Punjabi Sikhs, who argued that as British subjects they had the right to travel freely within the British Empire, including to Canada.

When the ship arrived in Vancouver Harbor on May 23, 1914, Canadian authorities refused to let the passengers disembark, using the "continuous journey" regulation that required immigrants to come directly from their country of origin—an impossibility since no direct shipping route existed from India to Canada.

For two months, the ship remained anchored in the harbor while lawyers fought in courts and the passengers suffered in deteriorating conditions. Punjabi communities in Canada and the United States rallied support, sending food, water, and money for legal fees. The incident became a rallying cry for Indian independence activists who pointed to the hypocrisy of the British Empire.

On July 23, 1914, the Canadian Navy forcibly escorted the Komagata Maru out of Vancouver Harbor. When the ship returned to India, British authorities, suspicious of the passengers' political activities, confronted them at Budge Budge near Calcutta. In the ensuing conflict, 19 passengers were killed and many others imprisoned.

The Komagata Maru incident had lasting impacts: it fueled the Ghadar movement's revolutionary activities, exposed the racism underlying immigration policies, and became a symbol of resistance. In 2016, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally apologized for the incident, acknowledging this dark chapter in Canadian history.