India is closely monitoring attacks against Hindus and Hindu temples in Canada and looking into various options to send a strong message to Canadian authorities against the Khalistan Referendum in Brampton.
According to Hindustan Times, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval have taken “strong notice” of the incidents in Canada and will respond to the “aggravation.”
Thread Big day for Khalistan Movement canadian sikhs came out in huge numbers at Brampton more than 100 K to vote in referendum 2022 i have witnessed history in making from young to 90 years old everyone demanding Khalistan pic.twitter.com/GtbNAloSaY
— Azhar Javaid (@azharjavaiduk) September 19, 2022
Over 100,000 Sikhs participated in a referendum in Brampton on 19 September to demand a referendum in Punjab on Khalistani independence. The event was organised by the Sikhs for Justice group, which was declared an illegal organisation by India in 2019 over its separatist agenda.
According to the Sikhs for Justice website, the organisation will approach the United Nations and other forums after securing sufficient support for independence from India.
In a parallel development, the Swaminarayan Mandir in Brampton was defaced on 13 September by Canadian Khalistani extremists, who vandalised the temple with anti-India graffiti. Videos showed phrases like “Hindustan Murdabad” (Death to India) graffitied on the temple’s walls. The Indian High Commission condemned the incident and called for urgent action against the perpetrators.
My statement in Canadian parliament on the recent hate crime incidents on Hindu temples in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/QgbNxe9FEG
— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) September 20, 2022
Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya, too, said the incident “should be condemned by all.” He stressed that such occurrences are not “isolated events,” noting that Hindu Canadians have been targets of such hate crimes for years now.
Moreover, unlike its decision to vociferously oppose Russia’s decision to hold a “referendum” in occupied Ukrainian territories, Canada has made little effort to push back against the Khalistani independence movement.
In fact, the Hindustan Times reported that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had “virtually turned a blind eye” to the referendum in Brampton.
Since August, the Indian government has sent “three diplomatic messages” to Global Affairs Canada to urge the Trudeau government to block the “illegal referendum.”
In response, the Canadian government on 16 September reiterated its support for India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and reassured that it does not recognise the referendum. Ottawa also condemned the vandalism of the Swaminarayan Mandir in Brampton and highlighted that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had been informed about the incident.
We strongly condemn defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto with anti-India graffiti. Have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators. @MEAIndia @IndiainToronto @PIB_India @DDNewslive @CanadainIndia @cgivancouver
— India in Canada (@HCI_Ottawa) September 15, 2022
However, the Trudeau government clarified that authorities remained committed to protecting freedom of expression and speech so long as they are exercised peacefully. Member of Parliament Sukhminder Singh Grewal, for instance, emphasises that authorities could not curb political expression.
Likewise, Sikhs for Justice Policy Director Jatinder Singh Grewal stressed that freedom of expression is “a fundamental right” in Canada. He asserted, “India has a difficult time understanding this principle as they have systematically criminalised political decent within their state and today countless Sikhs who wish to exercise their right to self-determination are labelled as ‘terrorists’.”
Trudeau has courted controversy for his alleged ties to Khalistani extremists in the past as well. During a visit to India in 2018, his office invited Jaspal Atwal, a convicted Khalistani terrorist, to two separate events. While it was subsequently brushed off as a mistake, it was telling that Canada’s “2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada” removed all mentions of Sikh and Khalistani extremism amid public backlash from Canada’s large Sikh community.
India also accused Trudeau of emboldening Khalistani terror groups after he voiced his support for the farmers’ protests in India in 2020.
Apart from Canada, the Indian officials are also monitoring “anti-India” activities in the United Kingdom, which has been witnessing brawls between Hindu and Muslim communities for over three weeks. Multiple Hindu temples and symbols have been vandalised, with stores and homes also set on fire.
The Indian government is also reportedly monitoring the British government’s response to the funding of Sikh radical groups.