Canada alerts India on tensions at consular camps held near places of worship

Toronto: Canadian law enforcement had written to India’s Consulate in Toronto warning about tensions rising at locations where consular camps were being held at places of worship.

According to a report in the outlet Globe and Mail, Peel Regional Police (PRP) chief Nishan Duraiappah, in a letter sent on Tuesday to India’s Acting Consul General in Toronto, said, “It is our assessment that the location of consular camps in proximity to these religious facilities may be a factor contributing to heightened tensions at these gatherings.”

The letter was sent after the violent attack on the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton by pro-Khalistan elements on Sunday, which was hosting a consular camp at the time. On Monday, a rally was held by Indo-Canadian groups was held outside the temple to protest the attack but was declared “unlawful” by PRP as “weapons” had been “observed” within the demonstration.

Multiple arrests have been announced by police since then, including on Thursday, when three persons who were at the Monday rally were charged with various offences.

On Wednesday, India’s Consulate in Toronto announced it was cancelling “some” of the consular camps that were scheduled. In a statement, the Consulate said, “In view of the security agencies conveying their inability to provide minimum security protection to the community camp organizers, Consulate has decided to cancel some of the scheduled consular camps.”

Camps are being organised elsewhere including in Edmonton, in Alberta the coming weekend. However, pro-Khalistan groups have already called for protests at the venue.

Indo-Canadians gathered in Edmonton, in front of the provincial legislature building, to protest the attack on the temple in Brampton. Several faith groups, including Hindu organisations and Sikh bodies have condemned the attack and its aftermath. In a statement, the Vishwa Jain Sanghatan Canada or World Jain Organisation Canada described the attack as “brutal” and condemned it. It added, “This rising Hinduphobia, fueled by violent Khalistanis & other extremist forces, pose a grave threat to Canada’s democratic values and the safety of all communities.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, as well as opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, also condemned the attack.

The attack on the temple led to a counterprotest that night outside a gurdwara in Malton, in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA.

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