Canada’s newly appointed Sikh Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan has allegedly faced the racial abuse by his own soldier for being Indian. Reportedly, an ‘inappropriate’ post was made by a soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces, which was later removed.

Apparently, a non-commissioned officer from the Canadian Forces Base at Valcartier near Quebec City commented on India-born Sajjan, making a racist reference on social media on November 5, just a day after Sajjan was sworn in as defense minister. The comment, which was written in French, was later removed.

The military declined to identify the soldier or precisely what was written. The Globe quoted an armed forces spokesperson as saying that bullies have no place in the army. “Racist attitudes are not compatible with military ethos and with effective military service. Any conduct that reflects such attitudes will not be tolerated. The institution is entirely committed to the principle of equality of all people and the dignity and worth of every human being,” it quoted spokesperson saying.

A Forces spokesman said the army’s chain of command is probing the matter. The incident of disrespect to the minister prompted Chief Warrant Officer Kevin West to send an e-mail to soldiers warning against such conduct, the newspaper said. It quotes the officer saying, “We have had an incident in which a high-ranking member of the military posted negative comments on a Facebook page about our minister. It’s totally unacceptable. We already deal with conduct problems on a daily basis in our ranks and it’s our duty, and that of our leaders, to put an end to it immediately. I was made aware of this incident and to say that I am mad is not the word.”

As per military rules, the offending officer can be relieved from the armed forces, suspended, put on probationary period or sent for counseling.

Sajjan immigrated to Canada from India when he was a young. Sajjan is a decorated military veteran who served three tours of duty for the Forces in Afghanistan, and one in Bosnia, and worked as a detective in the Vancouver Police Service.