NEW DELHI: The prime ministers of India and Canada condemned violence that broke out on Sunday at a Hindu temple near Toronto at a time of escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show people hitting each other with flagpoles and throwing punches in the Toronto suburb of Brampton. It was unclear who instigated the violence.

The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. It has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, something New Delhi denies.

The local Peel Police said on Monday that three people faced criminal charges over Sunday’s protest, without providing further details.

“Several acts of unlawfulness continue to be actively investigated,” the police said in a statement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a strongly worded statement on X on Monday.

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

“Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law,” he said.

His Canadian counterpart, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said the “acts of violence” were unacceptable.

India has accused Trudeau of pursuing a “political agenda” in their dispute and responded to Ottawa’s expulsion of its diplomats by expelling six Canadian diplomats. The North America-based activist group Sikhs for Justice said that “pro-Khalistan Sikhs who were peacefully demonstrating... were violently attacked by a group of Indo Canadians”.

Indian media reported that an Indian consular camp at the venue was targeted in the violence.

The foreign ministry in New Delhi said the violence was perpetrated by “extremists and separatists”.

The ministry said it remained “deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada”.

Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2024