Indian prime minister condemns violence at Hindu temple in Ontario

BRAMPTON, Ont. — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is condemning violence that erupted Sunday when Indian consular officials visited a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont., as police announced three people have been charged in the clash.

Visits by Indian officials to the temple in Brampton and another in Surrey, B.C., were met with protests from demonstrators seeking a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan.

Social media videos showed fist fights and people striking each other with poles on what appeared to be the grounds surrounding the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton, while three people were also arrested at the Sri Lakshmi Narayana Hindu Temple in Surrey.

The Surrey temple released a statement blaming police for what it called “unjustified violence against temple devotees.”

On Monday, Modi said he expects the Canadian government to “ensure justice.”

“I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats,” Modi wrote on the social media platform X.

“Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve.”

Another demonstration near the Brampton temple on Monday night was ordered to disperse after Peel Regional Police said on social media that weapons were seen within the crowd.

Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly, and warned anyone who remains could face arrest.

Peel Regional Police said earlier Monday that three people have been arrested and charged in the weekend protests.

A 43-year-old man from Mississauga, Ont., was charged with causing disturbance and assaulting a police officer, and a 23-year-old man from Brampton was charged with assault with a weapon. A 31-year-old man from Mississauga was charged with mischief over $5,000.

Police said the group of protesters moved to two separate locations in Mississauga, and an officer sustained minor injuries during the arrest of a person during those demonstrations. They said no other injuries were reported.

Peel Regional Police also confirmed that one of their officers has been suspended after video circulating on social media allegedly showed the officer’s involvement in the Brampton demonstration.

“We’re investigating the circumstances in totality depicted in the video, and are unable to provide further information until such time that the investigation is complete,” police said in a statement.

The group Sikhs for Justice said that Khalistan supporters had been protesting Indian consulate officials who made an announced a visit to the temple to provide administrative services such as helping seniors access their pensions.

The group alleged that India uses these visits to find informants to report on Khalistan supporters. It called on Ottawa to ban India’s diplomatic missions from conducting external outreach events, citing public safety.

On Monday, India’s external affairs ministry condemned “the acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists” at the temple, and said it would continue its consular outreach in Canada.

“The outreach of our consular officers to provide service to Indians and Canadian citizens alike will not be deterred by intimidation, harassment and violence,” read a statement from ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal, who called on Canada to prosecute “those indulging in violence” and protect all places of worship.

Three people were also arrested on Sunday at a protest in Surrey, B.C., where videos posted on social media showed people being carried away by police outside the Sri Lakshmi Narayana Hindu Temple.

Surrey RCMP said in a news release Monday that officers were deployed to the temple to “maintain public safety during consular camps when hundreds of protesters with opposing views arrived and began demonstrating.”

They said violence broke out but no one was injured and the crowd dispersed shortly after the arrests. Police said the suspects have been released from custody while officers continue to investigate.

The RCMP said in its news release that the officer in charge of the detachment would be meeting with local temple leaders to “address their concerns and ease tensions.”

That comes after the temple issued a statement to social media Sunday night, condemning the violence outside the temple and calling for “the suspension, investigation, and prosecution of the police officers involved in unjustified violence against temple devotees.”

“These actions must be addressed to ensure justice and prevent further tensions,” the statement said.

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.

Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau caused a diplomatic rift when he announced that Canadian officials suspected Indian government agents had a role in the assassination of a Sikh temple leader in Surrey in June 2023.

Those tensions boiled over last month when Canada expelled six Indian diplomats for allegations that 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 said that Canada provided no evidence to back up those allegations.

Sunday’s violence in Brampton drew condemnation from India’s high commission, Trudeau and the leaders of other major federal parties.

Following the clash, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said on social media that “both sides need to de-escalate.”

He said he plans to bring a motion to city council to look at prohibiting protests at places of worship.

“The pro-India and pro-Khalistan sides who think it is appropriate to protest at a place of worship are completely wrong,” he wrote. “This must stop.”

Graham McGregor, Ontario’s acting minister of citizenship and multiculturalism, said reports of what took place at the temple were “disturbing.”

“Nobody likes to see that kind of violence or those kind of intimidations happening outside of place of worship,” McGregor said.

— With files from Brieanna Charlebois in Vancouver, Dylan Robertson in Ottawa and Allison Jones in Toronto.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

Rianna Lim, The Canadian Press