New Delhi: A group of Sikh extremists waving Khalistani flags took to the streets Saturday as part of their ‘Freedom Rally’ and protested in front of the Indian consulate in Canada’s Toronto. However, they were countered by another group with members of the Indian community waving the Tricolour.
The second group raised slogans such as “Bharat Mata ki jai”, “Vande Mataram”, “Long Live India” and “Khalistan Murdabad”, and carried placards carrying messages like “Khalistani are not Sikh”, and “Canada, stop supporting Khalistani Canadian terrorists”.
A video posted by news agency ANI shows one of the Sikh extremism supporters desecrating the Indian national flag.
Sikh extremists called for protests outside Indian missions in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia in the wake of news reports that Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the head of Khalistan Tiger Force (Sikh extremist militant group) and the Canadian arm of Sikhs for Justice (US-based secessionist group), was shot dead 18 June. Nijjar, designated a terrorist by India in 2020, was gunned down by unknown assailants outside a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada.
Senior journalist Terry Milewski tweeted that posters came up overnight at a temple in Brampton, Canada, blaming India for Nijjar’s death. They marked three Indian bureaucrats, including Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consulate General of India, Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava as ‘martyr’ Nijjar’s “killers”.
Turning up the heat. Targeting three Indian diplomats as alleged "killers," Canadian Khalistanis begin their "Freedom Rally" day by posting a sign overnight at a Hindu Temple in Brampton, Ontario. It calls the area a "War Zone." pic.twitter.com/IQLvdBjc6b
— Terry Milewski (@CBCTerry) July 8, 2023
According to media reports, Khalistan supporters assembled across the street from the building which houses India’s consulate, with the intention of targeting India’s most senior envoys in Canada. The contingent also tried to storm the pro-India camp.
Vidya Bhushan Dhar, a member of the Indian community,was quoted by ANI as saying, “Canada is a peaceful country and we wanted to remain peaceful and we should. Basically, we are trying to tell the government of Canada to take cognizance… this is not freedom of expression.”
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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