New Delhi: Canadian police warned the Hindu community of arrests in the wake of protests against the attack on a temple in Brampton. Calling the protests “unlawful” the Peel Regional Police issued a public safety alert, saying “weapons” were seen within the demonstration as around 5,000 Indo-Canadians, mainly Hindus, protested outside the Hindu Sabha Temple on Monday.
In a statement on X, police asked residents to stay away from the demonstration near the Hindu Sabha temple. “This is now an unlawful assembly, and we will be clearing the area. All individuals are to disperse immediately or face arrest,” police said.
Notably, on Sunday, pro-Khalistani protesters clashed with devotees at the temple and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate. Videos showed demonstrators holding Khalistan flags engaging in fistfights with Hindu community members.
The Hindu Canadian Foundation claimed women and children were among those targeted by the mob.
A video also went viral, showing Canadian police allegedly assaulting a group of Hindu worshippers who were protesting against the attack, leading to further outrage. Another video showed a cop charging at a protester and raining punches on him.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the incident in Brampton. The government also suspended a Canadian police officer, Harinder Sohi, after a video went viral showing him participating in a pro-Khalistan protest outside the temple in Brampton.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned the incident, asserting that “every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely”, even though he stopped short of directly calling out the Khalistani sympathisers.
#Trigger alert: 🚨 Expletives. In this 4 min long video is where the clash exactly began. Indian youth gathered to counter #Khalistan supporters with chants of bharat Mata ki jai outside the Hindu Sabha Temple area. Clash begins once Hindus confronted the Khalistanis.… pic.twitter.com/E6xVWZmtLg
— Milan Sharma (@Milan_reports) November 3, 2024