Massive protests outside Canadian embassy in Delhi after Brampton temple attack
Members of the Hindu Sikh Global Forum on Sunday, who gathered outside the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi to protest against the recent attacks on Hindu temples in Canada, were stopped by the police at the Teen Murti Marg.
The Delhi Police beefed up the security in the area and halted the demonstrators, who raised slogans against the augmenting violence against Hindus in Canada by Khalistani extremists, news agency ANI reported.
Brampton temple attack: What led to these protests in Delhi?
The Hindu Sikh Global Forum, representing a coalition of Hindu and Sikh communities, organised the march to demonstrate their collective demand for action against the Khalistani attack in a temple in Brampton.
On November 3, Hindu devotees, including women and children were attacked and assaulted with sticks outside the Hindu Sabha temple in Canada’s Brampton by Khalistani extremists. The incident attracted widespread condemnation by world leaders.
Tarvinder Singh Marwah, President of the Hindu Sikh Global Forum, said that a pattern of such incidents targeting the Hindu and Sikh communities.
“An entire generation had been destroyed during militancy. They were either killed or they migrated to other countries. Then they introduced drugs to ruin the life of our young generation,” Marwah told ANI.
He further said that the additional efforts were made to disrupt the community’s unity, including attempts at forced religious conversions.
“And now this new thing of attacking temples has started. This is wrong and unfortunate,” he said.
“We are here to tell you that we are all together. A true Sikh can never be a Khalistani. If they want a separate nation, they should keep it limited to themselves. We want our tricolour and our country to be respected at all times. India’s Sikhs stand with India and do not support Khalistan,” he stated.
Temple attacks amid India-Canada tensions
The protests come amid the rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and India after the Justin Trudeau administration’s allegations regarding India’s role behind the killing of India-designated Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a charge vehemently denied by New Delhi as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Recently, Ottawa named Indian High Commissioner in Canada, Sanjay Verma and five other diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the case. India raised strong objections to the matter and recalled all six diplomats.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised Canada, saying they were welcoming people from India with links to organised crime, ignoring warnings by New Delhi.