Close X
Saturday, November 23, 2024
ADVT 
National

Party leaders condemn violence at Hindu temple in Brampton amid India consular visit

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Nov, 2024 11:50 AM
  • Party leaders condemn violence at Hindu temple in Brampton amid India consular visit

India's high commission in Canada is condemning violence that erupted Sunday as Indian consular officials visited a Hindu temple in the Toronto suburb of Brampton.

Videos circulating on social media appear to show demonstrators holding banners in support of a separate Sikh country called Khalistan clashing with others, including some holding India's national flag.

The videos seem to show fist fights and people striking each other with poles in what appears to be the grounds surrounding the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple.

The group Sikhs for Justice said Khalistan supporters had been protesting the presence of Indian consulate officials undertaking an announced visit to provide administrative services such as helping seniors access pensions.

In a release, India's high commission said plans for further visits to temples would be contingent on security arrangements from local authorities to protect the safety of officials, organizers and attendees.

"It is deeply disappointing to see such disruptions being allowed for routine consular work being organized by our Consulates," the embassy said in a statement posted to social media.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh all wrote Sunday on the platform X that they condemn the violence that occurred at the temple.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote that the violence was "completely unacceptable and must be condemned."

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said he was "disappointed to hear about acts of violence" outside the temple. 

"Those found guilty should be punished to the greatest extent of the law," he wrote on X.

A spokesman for Peel Regional Police, which oversees law enforcement in Brampton, said nobody had been arrested or charged in relation to the protests, but said police will probe "any acts of violence or threats."

Sikhs for Justice alleged Hindu nationalists had provoked the fighting and has claimed Indian officials use visits to religious sites to find informants to target Sikh separatists. The Indian high commission in Ottawa did not immediately respond to the claims.

The group is asking that Indian consular officials be barred from undertaking work outside of their diplomatic premises, arguing external site visits "directly endanger the safety and security of pro-Khalistan citizens in Canada."

But Liberal MP Chandra Arya accused "Canadian Khalistani extremists" of attacking Hindus, saying they are "getting a free pass in Canada."

The clashes come as Hindus celebrate the Diwali holiday and amid mounting tensions between Canada and India.

Last month, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats over allegations they used their positions to collect information on Canadians in the pro-Khalistan independence movement and then passed the details on to criminal gangs who targeted the individuals directly.

India has long accused Canada of harbouring pro-Khalistan terrorists that New Delhi has asked Ottawa to extradite, though Canadian officials say those requests often lack adequate proof.

Tensions have not been confined to Ontario.

This past Friday, a judge with British Columbia's Supreme Court granted an order to establish a buffer zone around one of the province's largest Sikh temples in advance of expected confrontations between protesters and Indian consular officials this weekend.

The request came from leaders of a Sikh temple who said they expected "intense protests" at two Indian consular events, commonly known as "consular camps."

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. woman, 57, found dead after home swept away by mudslide

B.C. woman, 57, found dead after home swept away by mudslide
Police in British Columbia say two people are dead and another is missing, thought to be inside a submerged vehicle, after a weekend of torrential rain that triggered mudslides, road washouts and localized flooding.

B.C. woman, 57, found dead after home swept away by mudslide

RCMP investigate after home shot at, 13-year-old injured in northern Manitoba

RCMP investigate after home shot at, 13-year-old injured in northern Manitoba
A 13-year-old boy has been seriously injured in a shooting in northern Manitoba. RCMP responded early Saturday morning to a report of shots bring fired at a home in Nisichawayasihk (nis-sis-TWAH'-see) Cree Nation, west of Thompson.

RCMP investigate after home shot at, 13-year-old injured in northern Manitoba

Minimum wage to hire higher-paid temporary foreign workers set to increase

Minimum wage to hire higher-paid temporary foreign workers set to increase
The federal government is expected to boost the minimum hourly wage that must be paid to temporary foreign workers in the high-wage stream as a way to encourage employers to hire more Canadian staff. Under the current program’s high-wage labour market impact assessment (LMIA) stream, an employer must pay at least the median income in their province to qualify for a permit.

Minimum wage to hire higher-paid temporary foreign workers set to increase

Wildfire smoke pollution linked to thousands of annual deaths: global study

Wildfire smoke pollution linked to thousands of annual deaths: global study
A new international study co-authored by a Canadian researcher says climate change is contributing to thousands more wildfire smoke-related deaths than in previous decades. The modelling study estimates that about 12,566 annual wildfire smoke-related deaths in the 2010s were linked to climate change, up from about 669 in the 1960s. 

Wildfire smoke pollution linked to thousands of annual deaths: global study

Public inquiry grapples with definition of foreign interference in its final week

Public inquiry grapples with definition of foreign interference in its final week
A federal public inquiry into foreign interference is grappling with how to define its central issue as it begins the final week of hearings in Ottawa. The inquiry will hear from expert panels this week on disinformation, national security and how to ensure electoral integrity. 

Public inquiry grapples with definition of foreign interference in its final week

Here's what the party leaders said after British Columbia's tight election

Here's what the party leaders said after British Columbia's tight election
The outcome of British Columbia's election was unclear after a close race between the NDP and the B.C. Conservatives, with the Greens poised to play a role in a potential minority government. Here's what the party leaders said on Saturday's election night.

Here's what the party leaders said after British Columbia's tight election