BRAMPTON, Ontario — A Hindu temple located near Toronto became the center of attention again this week following a demonstration that Peel Regional Police intervened in after detecting weapons among the crowd. The event unfolded in Brampton, Ontario, and was deemed an unlawful assembly just before 10 p.m. on Monday, as authorities reported seeing weapons present at the scene.
Pro-Hindu groups indicated that the protest on Monday was organized in response to Sikh separatist demonstrations that took place Sunday, opposing the visit of Indian consular officials to the temple. The gathering disrupted traffic along Gore Road as it congregated at an intersection near the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple, but by 1 a.m., the crowds had dispersed.
In the wake of Sunday’s protest, which involved physical confrontations evident in social media videos, three individuals were taken into custody, and a police officer from Peel police was suspended. The footage circulating online depicted instances of altercations and individuals using poles against each other on the temple grounds.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown responded to the events by posting a video on Tuesday featuring a man he accused of attempting to inflame violence against members of the Sikh community. In his post on X, Brown underscored the need for swift action against “agitators trying to incite violence,” insisting they should face serious repercussions under hate laws.
Prior to Monday’s event, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violence witnessed on Sunday as an intentional assault on a Hindu temple and a tactic to intimidate diplomats. Additionally, tensions rose between Canada and India last month when Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, alleging they misused their roles to gather intelligence on Canadians within the Sikh separatist movement and relayed that information to criminal organizations targeting those individuals.
India has denied these claims and accuses Canada of providing refuge to terrorists associated with the Sikh separatist movement, which is pursuing the creation of an independent nation known as Khalistan. The diplomatic relations between the two nations have strained further since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed last year that there was credible evidence suggesting a connection between the Indian government and the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Furthermore, Canada isn’t the sole nation to allege Indian officials were involved in assassination plots abroad. In mid-October, the U.S. Justice Department brought forward criminal charges against an Indian government official in relation to an alleged failed plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader residing in New York City.