Close X
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
ADVT 
National

Hindu temple in Surrey wants police suspended after protest unrest

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Nov, 2024 04:06 PM
  • Hindu temple in Surrey wants police suspended after protest unrest

A Hindu temple in Surrey is calling for the suspension of police officers involved in what it calls "unjustified violence against temple devotees" during unrest on Sunday in which three people were arrested.

The arrests outside the Sri Lakshmi Narayana Hindu Temple came as protesters calling for a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan had demonstrated outside the temple on Sunday during a visit by Indian consular officials.

The temple issued a statement on social media to condemn what it called an "attack on the Hindu temple by extremist elements," saying it underscores the "urgent need" for government officials to stop escalating violence.

Videos posted on social media show two men being restrained and held to the ground by officers outside the temple.

Surrey RCMP said officers were deployed to the temple around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday to maintain public safety during the consular visit, "when hundreds of protesters arrived."

They say violence broke out and, while no one was injured, three people were arrested.

Videos show both RCMP and Surrey Police Service officers in attendance.

Asked about the temple's allegations of unjustified police violence, the RCMP said Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, the officer in charge of Surrey RCMP, "continues to meet with local temple leaders to address their concerns."

There was similar unrest at a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont., on Sunday, that prompted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to condemn what he called a "deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada," and "cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats."

Modi said Monday that he expects the Canadian government to "ensure justice" in the case.

The B.C. government did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke called the incident in Surrey "deeply disturbing" and said she had reached out to B.C. Premier David Eby.

"I am disappointed and upset by this incident. This is not who we are in Surrey," she said in the statement Monday. 

"I am speaking with all parties involved and I call for the Surrey community to remain calm."

Peel Regional Police also confirmed Monday that three people were arrested and charged in the Brampton protests, and that one officer had been suspended after a video circulating on social media allegedly showed his involvement in the Brampton demonstration.

The group Sikhs for Justice said that Khalistan supporters had been protesting the presence of Indian consulate officials.

The group said India uses these visits to find informants to report on Khalistan supporters. 

The group called on Ottawa to ban India's diplomatic missions from conducting external outreach events, citing public safety.

Six Indian diplomats were expelled from Canada last month over RCMP allegations that they used their positions to collect information on Canadians in the pro-Khalistan independence movement and then pass that on to criminal gangs who targeted the individuals directly.

Sikhs for Justice also held a similar protest in Vancouver on Saturday, but a B.C. Supreme Court judge granted an order to establish a buffer zone around the Ross Street Gurdwara during a consular visit. 

Court documents say the so-called consular camps give seniors of Indian descent a chance to meet with consular officials to complete administrative tasks, mostly related to their pensions, without having to attend the consulate in Vancouver.

The Khalsa Diwan Society, which runs the Ross Street Gurdwara in Vancouver, says in court documents that it expected "intense protests" at two consular camps in light of the RCMP allegations. The second camp is scheduled for Nov. 16.

MORE National ARTICLES

Man pleads guilty to multiple robberies

Man pleads guilty to multiple robberies
A man has been sentenced to more than two years in prison as well as receiving a lifetime firearms ban after pleading guilty to multiple robberies in the Lower Mainland. Surrey Mounties say Jaden Kahnapace pleaded guilty earlier this year to three robberies in 2021 that all happened within the span of two weeks.

Man pleads guilty to multiple robberies

Seizure of guns & illicit drugs in Penticton

Seizure of guns & illicit drugs in Penticton
Mounties in Penticton say a search warrant has led to the seizure of several guns as well as cash and suspected illicit drugs. R-C-M-P say it also resulted in the arrests of four people linked to the home in the one-thousand-block of Government Street.

Seizure of guns & illicit drugs in Penticton

Trudeau announces massive drop in immigration targets as Liberals make major pivot

Trudeau announces massive drop in immigration targets as Liberals make major pivot
The federal government is slashing immigration targets as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admits the government did not get the balance right following the COVID-19 pandemic. The government had targeted bringing in 500,000 new permanent residents in both 2025 and 2026.

Trudeau announces massive drop in immigration targets as Liberals make major pivot

Groups say Jewish students, staff at University of B.C. face hostile environment

Groups say Jewish students, staff at University of B.C. face hostile environment
A coalition of Jewish organizations says it is "deeply alarmed" by a rising tide of antisemitism at the University of British Columbia in recent weeks.  A joint statement sent out by six groups, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and Canadian Jewish Advocacy, says Jewish staff, students and faculty members at the university have faced "an increasingly hostile environment" since the start of the academic year. 

Groups say Jewish students, staff at University of B.C. face hostile environment

Vancouver begins process of closing homeless encampment at Crab Park

Vancouver begins process of closing homeless encampment at Crab Park
Vancouver's park board says it has begun the process of closing the homeless encampment that has been in place at a local park since 2021. The park board says it is talking directly with each of the seven people still in the camp located in the designated area at Crab Park, with the goal of closing the encampment and returning the area to "general park use" by Nov. 7.

Vancouver begins process of closing homeless encampment at Crab Park

What you need to know as Trudeau fights to retain leadership of the Liberal party

What you need to know as Trudeau fights to retain leadership of the Liberal party
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resisted calls for his resignation for more than a year now but in recent weeks those calls have grown louder and in some cases more public. The Liberal caucus met Wednesday, where MPs had a three-hour long discussion about their party's current state and whether Trudeau is the best one to keep leading it.

What you need to know as Trudeau fights to retain leadership of the Liberal party