India’s consulate in Toronto cancels consular camps due to lack of security assurance from Canadian agencies

Toronto: India’s consulate in Toronto has announced that it will cancel “some” scheduled consular camps after not receiving assurances from Canadian security agencies on adequate protection at the venues.

This follows the violent invasion of the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton on Sunday by pro-Khalistan elements protesting a consular camp being held on the premises of the temple. The separatists had attacked devotees inside the temple.

In a statement on X, the consulate said, “In view of the security agencies conveying their inability to provide minimum security protection to the community camp organisers, the consulate has decided to cancel some of the scheduled consular camps.”

Violence orchestrated by pro-Khalistan radicals had been condemned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had described it as a “deliberate attack” on the Hindu temple in a post on X.

“Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law,” he had added. It was also condemned by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, among others.

At the time, India’s High Commission in Ottawa said despite the attempted disruption over 1,000 life certificates were issued. However, it added, future such camps will be “contingent on security arrangements made for them by local authorities”. When “infeasible”, alternative arrangements would be made “which may, unfortunately, inconvenience local users of these services”, it added. It noted, “On account of the prevailing situation in Canada, the Canadian authorities had been requested well in advance to provide strong security measures for these events, which constitute routine consular work.”

There were as many as ten such consular camps scheduled for November and it is not known exactly how many have been cancelled. The camps were scheduled for several locations, including temples and gurdwaras, in Brampton and Mississauga in the Greater Toronto Area, in the towns of Windsor, Oakville, London and Kitchener in Ontario and Halifax in Nova Scotia.

The attack on Sunday, gave rise to tensions as it left the Hindu community furious. Nearly 5,000 Indo-Canadians staged a rally on Monday to protest the attack. It was ultimately declared “unlawful” by local police and was cleared.

An off-duty officer has been suspended by Peel Regional Police (PRP) for participating in the pro-Khalistan protest, while four persons were arrested.

As tensions over the attack and its aftermath remain, PRP said on Tuesday, that it will “be increasing our visible presence in areas of community significance”.

It added that they “appreciate that as this situation develops, the fear, anger and tensions felt within communities are also escalating”.

That reported violence, those present at the protest said, was instigated when some of those gathered were pepper-sprayed from a car, leading to anger with some hotheads attacking the vehicle with sticks. In a release on Tuesday, PRP sought “public’s assistance to identify an individual who sprayed a noxious substance during a protest in Brampton”.

Secessionist groups have called for a “Khalistan rally against Indian extremists” on Sunday.

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