Hindu and Sikh activists stage a protest outside the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi on Sunday, condemning an attack on a Hindu temple in Brampton, Canada, by a pro-Khalistan mob.
In anticipation of the protests, security was tightened around the Canadian mission at the diplomatic enclave in Chanakyapuri. Delhi Police deployed heavy force and put up several layers of barricades to keep the situation under control.
A group of activists from the Hindu Sikh Global Forum attempted to break the police barricades and sloganeered, holding placards that read “Hindus and Sikhs united” and “Indians will not tolerate the insult of temples in Canada.”
These protests come after a section of Khalistani supporters attacked the devotees outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton on November 4 when a consular camp was going on. The attack was highly condemned by many, with the remarks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, terming the incident a “deliberate attack” and deeply concerning “cowardly attempts to intimidate” Indian diplomats.
Following the incident at Brampton, widespread protests took place outside the temple, with several others in Mississauga. Remarkably, even a Canadian police officer by the name of Harinder Sohi was suspended for joining a demonstration on behalf of Khalistan where slogans denouncing India had been chanted.
The Canadian Police arrested four persons in connection with the violence and the subsequent demonstrations. The latest to be taken into custody is Inderjeet Gosal, a key functionary of Sikhs for Justice, an organization banned in India. Gosal, an aide of the deceased Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has been charged with assault with a weapon.
