TORONTO, Nov 4: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned as "unacceptable" violence at a Hindu temple near Toronto on Sunday, following skirmishes blamed by some leaders on Sikh activists.
Local police in the city of Brampton, roughly 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Toronto, said they had deployed heavily outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in order to maintain calm during a protest.
A spokesman for the Peel Regional Police told AFP that no arrests had been made. Police have also declined to assign blame for the reported violence.
"The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely," Trudeau wrote on X.
A federal lawmaker and member of Trudeau's Liberal Party, Chandra Arya, blamed the incident on "Khalistanis," a reference to supporters of the fringe separatist movement for an independent Sikh homeland in India's Punjab state.
Relations between Canada and India have nosedived after Ottawa accused the Indian government of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan activist.
Beyond Nijjar's killing, Canada has accused India of directing a broad campaign targeting Sikh activists on Canadian soil, which Ottawa says has included intimidation, threats and violence.
"A red line has been crossed by Canadian Khalistani extremists today," Arya, who is Hindu, posted on X.
Meanwhile, India on Monday demanded Canada protect its citizens after violent clashes at a Hindu temple near Toronto blamed by some on Sikh activists, worsening already frosty relations between the nations.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India, and includes activists for "Khalistan", a fringe separatist movement seeking an independent state for the religious minority carved out of Indian territory.
Relations between India and Canada nosedived after Ottawa accused the Indian government of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalised Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan activist. —AFP
