An Indian-origin journalist was assaulted by alleged Khalistan supporters in British Columbia while he was covering an event to welcome Indian envoy to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma there. The program was cancelled due to protests. Some of them were reportedly wielding swords and blocked the entry of the venue.
The event was organised on Sunday at the Taj Park Convention Centre Surrey to welcome High Commissioner of India, Sanjay Kumar Verma's first visit to the west coast. He was scheduled to attend a reception organized by the Friends of India and Canada Foundation in Surrey, British Columbia.
The event was ultimately cancelled for security reasons, Global News, the news and current affairs division of the Canadian Global Television Network, reported.
Indian-origin journalist Sameer Kaushal, who was at the venue to cover the protest, was also assaulted by protesters. Kaushal, a journalist and news director with AM600 Sher E Punjab Radio, said when he arrived at the venue, he found a large protest and said demonstrators would not allow him to access the event.
When he identified himself as a journalist and asked the protesters if he could interview their organisers about their concerns, things quickly went sour, he told Global News late Monday.
“They tried to instigate the whole crowd. Approximately 50 to 60 youngsters, they came around me, they made a circle, they had covered their faces with clothes, and they were just pushing me and threatening me and abusing me in my mother tongue,” he said.