Canada: Three charged over violence at Hindu temple

Canadian police in the Toronto suburb of Brampton said on Monday that three men had been charged over a violent scuffle that broke out outside a Hindu temple on Sunday.

Authorities said the men, aged 23, 31 and 43, had been charged with offenses including assault with a weapon and assaulting a police officer. "Several acts of unlawfulness continue to be actively investigated," authorities said

The incident comes amid heightened tensions between Canada and India after the latter's alleged assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada — home to the second-largest Sikh community in the world.

What happened during the Hindu temple violence in Canada?

On Sunday, Sikh activists appeared to have clashed with Hindu rivals at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in the suburb of Brampton near Toronto. 

Clips circulated on social media showed people carrying flags of the Khalistani separatist movement. It was unclear who instigated the violence.

"Khalistan" refers to a separatist movement seeking an independent state for Sikhs from Indian territory. 

Videos showed people attacking each other with flagpoles and throwing punches. Isolated fights also broke out at the site.

Police also said they were aware of a video of an off-duty police officer participating in a demonstration. The officer has since been suspended. 

The North America-based activist group Sikhs for Justice said the incident was an "unprovoked violent attack on peaceful pro-Khalistan demonstrators." They said they were peacefully protesting outside the temple against the presence of Indian diplomats inside the temple premises.

Police said there were demonstrations at several locations in the region.

India and Canada condemn violence

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the incident on Sunday, saying the "acts of violence" were unacceptable.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made his first comments on Monday after the Indian Foreign Ministry said "extremists and separatists" were behind the incident.

"I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats," Modi said in a post on X.

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also condemned the attack on Tuesday as he spoke to reporters during a visit to Australia. 

"What happened at the Hindu temple in Canada was obviously deeply concerning," he said. 

Tense India-Canada relations

Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa have dipped recently after Canada accused the Indian government of orchestrating the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, a Khalistan activist who is a Canadian citizen. 

Last week, the Canadian government accused Indian Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah of being involved in the plot.

The Canadian authorities have maintained that they have shared the relevant evidence with the Indian authorities. However, the Indian government has repeatedly denied this claim and called the allegations absurd.

Both countries have since expelled each other's diplomats, causing further souring of ties.

Canada is not the only country that has accused the Indian government of plotting an assassination on foreign soil.

The US has also charged a former Indian intelligence officer in the case of a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.

tg/ab (AFP, Reuters)