Hindu and Sikh activists held a demonstration outside the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi on Sunday to protest against the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton by a pro-Khalistan mob.
To maintain law and order, security was beefed up in front of the High Commission of Canada in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri following calls for protests from various Hindu organisations. Delhi Police deployed a large number of personnel and erected multiple layers of barricades in front of the Canadian mission.
Several activists of the Hindu Sikh Global Forum, who were marching to the High Commission, attempted to climb over the police barricades and toppled them. They raised slogans and bore placards that read ‘Hindus and Sikhs are united’ and ‘Indians will not tolerate the insult of temples in Canada’.
The protests come after a number of Khalistani supporters attacked devotees outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, Canada, when a consular camp was underway on November 4. The incident sparked widespread condemnation, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who denounced the “deliberate attack” and “cowardly attempts to intimidate” Indian diplomats.
Following the attack, massive protests erupted outside the Brampton temple, with demonstrations also taking place in Mississauga. A Canadian police officer, Harinder Sohi, was suspended for participating in a pro-Khalistan protest where anti-India slogans were chanted.
Canadian authorities have arrested four individuals in connection with the violence and subsequent demonstrations. The latest arrest is of Inderjeet Gosal, a top operative of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a banned organisation in India.
Gosal, who was an associate of slain Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has been charged with assault with a weapon.