In an apparent fallout of the ongoing operation to nab radical preacher Amritpal Singh, Indian envoy to Canada had to cancel an event in British Columbia due to security concerns as alleged Khalistani supporters blocked the entrance to the venue there.
Some of the protesters were reportedly wielding swords. In another incident, a 21-year-old Sikh student was assaulted in British Columbia.
The incident related to the Indian envoy took place late on Sunday in front of the Taj Convention. High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma was scheduled to attend a reception organised by the Friends of India and Canada Foundation in Surrey, British Columbia.
Reports said the local police was not able to control the mob which started gathering a couple of hours before the event was scheduled to begin.
The police reportedly advised the High Commissioner against attending the function.
Maninder Gill, president of the Foundation, said, “This is a shame if even the High Commissioner cannot be protected in this country.”
There were online threats to disrupt meetings and events being attended by Indian diplomats in the country, including that of the High Commissioner. The call to the protestors asked them to “Mask up” and to leave their IDs and cell phones at home.
India’s High Commission in Ottawa had already sought upgraded security for its missions in the country for the foreseeable future.
The High Commission faced a protest by members of the Shiromani Akali Dal - Amritsar in Ottawa on Sunday afternoon, though that passed without incident unlike events in London, which saw the High Commission in the British capital vandalized.
Reports said Indian officials there have called for more security from the nodal law enforcement agency, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP, on a continuing basis as more protests are expected. Request for security also pertains to the High Commission in the Canadian capital as well as the Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver.
A public meeting “to discuss Bhai Amritpal Singh’s Arrest” was organised at the Sikh Spiritual Center in the town of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA by the Ontario Gurdwara Committee.
So-called Khalistan flags and banners were also seen at gatherings from Brampton to protest action against Amritpal and his associates.
Reports indicated more protests are planned through the week.
As regards the assault on a Sikh student on Friday night, local reports said Gagandeep Singh was heading home when attacked in an apparent hate crime by some unidentified persons. They allegedly dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair, reports said adding the assaulters also tore off his turban in British Columbia.
Councillor Mohini Singh said she heard of the attack shortly after it happened and went to visit Gagandeep. “I was horrified when I saw him. He could only speak in soft tones and he couldn’t open his mouth,”’ she told CTV News. She said the young man’s eyes were swollen shut and that he was obviously in significant pain.
The councillor said she was told that Gagandeep was heading home around 10:30 pm after grocery shopping when he encountered a group of between 12 and 15 young people on the bus. It was St. Patrick’s Day and Singh said a rowdy group was on the bus, throwing a wig around.
“They were harassing him and they threw the wig at him. He told them not to bother him or he’d call the police, and they continued to harass him,” she said.
Gagandeep got off the bus. “They got off after him, waited for the bus to leave and then they swarmed him, they beat him in his face, in his ribs, arms, and legs and then proceeded to grab his turban, pull his hair and drag him,” Singh said, adding that the group took the turban with them when they left Gagandeep in a pile of “dirty snow” on the side of the road. “Taking his turban was the worst, it feels like they’ve taken it as a trophy,” she said.
After he regained consciousness, Gagandeep called a friend who came to the scene and called 911. Singh said Gagandeep’s friends and fellow international students have been left shaken and scared by the attack, prompting a gathering at the bus stop Sunday where they spoke out about how they feel less safe in their community.
The councillor says the fact that Gangandeep is Sikh and from India was “undoubtedly” a factor in the assault. “I entirely believe this is racism and it should be treated as that. It should be looked at through the lens of being a hate crime. This is so wrong on so many levels. This is not something that is acceptable anywhere -- not in Kelowna, not anywhere,” she said.
The Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police, in a statement, confirmed that they are investigating after someone was “hit from behind and assaulted” by a group of people at the bus stop Friday evening and that responding officers found the victim “laying on the ground”. No details about injuries were provided but authorities said the victim was taken to hospital by paramedics.
“The Kelowna RCMP take this very seriously and are concerned that this type of crime has happened in our city,” spokesperson Constable Mike Della-Paolera said. “This assault is the top priority for our investigators.”