Several have been arrested following a weekend of protests led by Khalistani activists outside of Hindu temples across Canada.
Law enforcement services in Surrey, B.C. and Brampton, Ont. announced charges against several suspects accused of involvement in alleged political and sectarian violence.
Peel police arrested three individuals in connection to a turbulent pro-Khalistan protest outside of a Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont. that was caught on video and shared widely on social media.
Sikhs for Justice, which has been banned as an “unlawful association” by the Indian government since 2019, organized the protest outside of the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton, which ended in violence. Videos from the protest show men wielding Khalistan flags chasing members of the temple onto the temple’s outdoor property and opposing groups exchanging blows.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the SFJ’s General Counsel, emailed True North to say that the protest was organized against Indian diplomats who he said were running a “life certificate” camp for Indian expats seeking pension documentation services at the Hindu Sabha Mandir. In his comments, Pannun insisted that it was “in no way directed against the temple.”
The Indian government designated Pannun a terrorist in 2020 because of his Sikh separatist activities and he is currently facing charges related to sedition in India.
The protests were prompted by Sikh activist groups, which have criticized India’s conduct of diplomatic business outside of official embassies and consular offices.
“Pro Khalistan Canadians were raising slogans to counter diplomats’ presence in Temple,” Pannun told True North. Some of the signs seen in footage from another Khalistan protest in Surrey referenced the assassination of a former Indian Prime Minister by a Sikh terrorist and signs that said “Kill Modi,” a reference to the current Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
According to a Peel Regional Police news release, the protest outside the temple, which turned violent, was the first of three Khalistan protests on Sunday. Police reported “several incidents between protesters and worshipers.” Police said that a Peel Regional Police officer was treated at a hospital with minor injuries, though no other injuries were reported.
Dilpreet Singh Bouns, 43, from Mississauga, was charged with allegedly causing a disturbance and assaulting a peace officer; Vikas, 23, from Brampton, was charged with alleged assault with a weapon; and Amritpal Singh, a 31-year-old from Mississauga, was charged with mischief over $5000. Police said a fourth suspect was arrested for an unrelated outstanding warrant but was subsequently released.
Surrey RCMP emailed True North to say that three individuals were arrested for “causing a disturbance,” at another pro-Khalistan protest in Surrey, B.C., after “violence broke out between groups with opposing views about India.” The three were released without charges pending a further investigation.
Footage captured by independent journalist Mocha Bezirgan also shows Khalistani protesters assembled outside the Vancouver Hindu Temple to protest the presence of an Indian diplomat.
Pannun insisted to True North that the demonstrations in Brampton were peaceful and only turned violent after a group of “Indo-Canadian nationalists,” who he alleges were “incited by Indian consulate officials,” attacked Sikh demonstrators outside the temple.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs released a statement urging Canada to protect places of worship and hold those responsible for the violence accountable while saying the work of its embassies to provide services to Indian Canadians would not be “deterred by intimidation, harassment and violence.”
When asked if he condemned the violence at the Hindu temple, Pannun sent True North a video which he alleges proves that “Indo-Canadian Hindus” pushed the SFJ’s Canadian Coordinator for the Khalistan Referendum, Inderjeet Singh Gosal.
The video appears to show Gosal being shoved after approaching the Hindu counter-protesters. However, the camera angle of the video makes it difficult to ascertain what happened.
Despite several of the names of those arrested indicating Sikh and not Hindu backgrounds, Pannun maintained that the other side was at fault. The charges pressed by the Peel Regional Police have yet to be proven in a court of law.
Police told True North they were investigating the circumstances in “totality” depicted in the video but could not provide further comment until the investigation had concluded.
PRP has also confirmed with True North that it has also suspended one of its officers, Sgt. Harinder Sohi, who was identified on social media while off duty, engaging in the demonstration on the Khalistani side.