Canada cops call Hindu protests near temple unlawful, warn of arrests

Issuing a public safety alert, Canadian police said 'weapons' were seen during the demonstration by members of the Hindu community outside the Hindu Mahasabha Temple.

Canadian police said the protests by members of the Hindu community against the attack on a temple in Brampton was "unlawful" and warned of arrests if the agitators failed to disperse from the area. 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 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.

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 fist fights 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.

The incident drew a strong reaction from India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemning the "deliberate attack" on the Hindu temple. "Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India's resolve," PM Modi said in his first remarks since the downturn in India-Canada ties,

"We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law," Modi tweeted.

The strain in India-Canada ties spiked dramatically after the Canadian government said Indian diplomats were "persons of interest" in the investigation into the 2023 murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar. India responded by withdrawing these diplomats, and expelling six Canadian diplomats from the country.