Surrey Sikh temple employee charged after alleged sexual assault on teen

Mounties say a man has been charged in connection with a sexual assault investigation involving a teen at a temple in Surrey's Newton area just over a year ago.

In a news release Friday, Surrey RCMP said 59-year-old Ajastar Singh has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference of a person under the age of 16.

Singh was arrested in May 2023, after RCMP received reports that a 15-year-old girl had been sexually assaulted at the Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib, a Sikh temple located in the 15200 block of 68 Avenue.

In a previous news release, Surrey RCMP said the suspect was an employee at the temple at the time. He was arrested on May 5, 2023. He was released shortly after on several conditions, including that he had no contact with the victim and couldn't be in the presence of anyone under the age of 16 without another adult present.

“This is a very sensitive subject, as a 15-year-old female youth has been sexually assaulted at or near a place where a lot of her community goes to pay their respects. It’s very concerning.” Cpl. Sarbjit Sangha told CTV News in an interview last year.

Earlier this month, Singh was arrested again and appeared in court. He was released pending a future court date with multiple conditions, some of which include:

• No contact with children under the age of 16;
• Not attending public areas where children under the age of 16 would likely be present;
• And not engaging in employment or volunteer work that involves working with children under the age of 16.