New Delhi: A Hindu temple in Canada’s Brampton came under attack by individuals wielding Sikh separatist flags Sunday—an incident which is being investigated by the Peel Regional Police.
Videos circulating on social media show individuals carrying flags bearing the Sikh separatist symbol, along with sticks entering the temple premises and attacking individuals after assembling near the gates of the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton.
“While we respect the individual right to protest as per the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, our duty and responsibility remains to maintain public order and ensure the safety of everyone,” said the Peel Regional Police in a statement on social media platform X.
Reacting to the incident, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote in a social media post: “The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely. Thank you to the Peel Regional Police for swiftly responding to protect the community and investigate this incident.”
Very disturbing images! #Khalistanis have attacked devotees at #HinduSabhaTemple , Brampton. This is unacceptable! @PeelPolice @patrickbrownont @JustinTrudeau @fordnation – Take action and protect Canadians pic.twitter.com/FN18xY2rBT
— HinduForumCanada #HFC (@canada_hindu) November 3, 2024
Trudeau’s government, however, was slammed by Leader of Opposition Pierre Poilievre, who claimed that he would “unite our [Canadian] people and end the chaos”, while condemning the attack on the temple.
Completely unacceptable to see violence targeting worshippers at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today.
All Canadians should be free to practice their faith in peace. Conservatives condemn this violence unequivocally. I will unite our people and end the chaos.
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) November 3, 2024
Neither Trudeau nor Poilievre mentioned “Khalistan” or Sikh separatists in their statements, in the incident that occurred just days after Diwali.
Liberal Member of Parliament Chandra Arya, who has often spoken out against Sikh separatism in Canada, highlighted how the attack on the temple “shows how deep and brazen Khalistani violent extremism has become in Canada”.
“A red line has been crossed by Canadian Khalistani extremists today… I begin to feel that there is a small grain of truth in the reports that in addition to the Canadian political apparatus, Khalistanis have effectively infiltrated our law enforcement agencies,” Arya wrote in a post on X.
He added: “No wonder that under the ‘freedom of expression’ Khalistani extremists are getting a free pass in Canada. As I have been saying for long, Hindu-Canadians, for the security and safety of our community, need to step up and assert their rights and hold politicians accountable.”
A red line has been crossed by Canadian Khalistani extremists today.
The attack by Khalistanis on the Hindu-Canadian devotees inside the premises of the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton shows how deep and brazen has Khalistani violent extremism has become in Canada.
I begin to feel… pic.twitter.com/vPDdk9oble
— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) November 3, 2024
While Trudeau and Poilievre both attended a number of ceremonies celebrating Diwali across temples in Canada, the opposition leader cancelled a celebration of the festival at Parliament Hill, which was scheduled for 30 October.
Facing backlash from the Indian community in Canada, Conservative Member of Parliament Todd Doherty, who was to host the event last week, announced that it had been rescheduled for 5 November. However, Indian groups are unlikely to participate in the rescheduled celebration as reported by ThePrint earlier.
In July this year, the BAPS Swaminaryan Mandir in the Canadian city of Edmonton was vandalised with offensive graffiti calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Arya “Hindu terrorists” and “anti-Canada”.
Arya, at the time, had condemned the vandalism. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Sikh separatist and India-designated terrorist had then threatened Arya, asking him to go back to India along with his supporters. Pannun had claimed that only “Khalistani Sikhs” were loyal to Canada in a video that was circulating on social media.
In recent years, temples across the Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia and a few other regions have been vandalised with hateful graffiti, according to the Liberal MP. Arya is a member of Trudeau’s political party.
The Canadian government is also currently in the midst of a diplomatic standoff with India over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar—another India-designated terrorist. Nijjar was killed in June 2023 outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
In September last year, Trudeau had alleged that agents of the government of India were linked to the killing—a charge rejected by New Delhi as “absurd and motivated”. Last month, Ottawa requested New Delhi to waive diplomatic immunity of six Indian diplomats working at its missions across Canada. India rejected the request, withdrew the diplomats including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and expelled six Canadian diplomats.
The Canadian government went a step further by alleging that the Indian Union Home Minister Amit Shah authorised the surveillance and violence against Sikh separatists in Canada, through leaks to The Washington Post. India refuted the allegations, terming them “absurd and baseless”.
New Delhi has maintained that Trudeau’s government is focusing on their own domestic political interests, specifically “vote bank” politics in order to gain favour from Sikh separatist voters in the country.
Also Read: Canada oppn MP’s cancelled Diwali gala now rescheduled, fuming Indian groups say won’t attend