MP From Canada Claims Khalistani Plan To Target Temple, Says "Step In, Take Action"

Ottawa: Citizen of India Chandra Arya, a member of parliament from Canada, allegedly recorded Pro Khalistani supporters in Surrey saying they wanted to cause trouble at the local Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir. On Monday, she shared the video.

Arya, a member of parliament from Canada, called on the government to intervene in addition to sharing the video on the social media platform X.

He wrote, "According to some reports, last week, supporters of Khalistan verbally assaulted a Sikh family outside a Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, BC. It seems that the same Khalistan group is now trying to stir up trouble at the Surrey Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir."

"The freedom of speech and expression is the reason behind all of these actions. Like a broken record, I beg Canadian authorities to intervene once more and take appropriate action," he continued.

Saying, "Hindu temples have been attacked many times during the last couple of years," Arya highlighted the fact that Hindu temples have continued to be targets for attacks over the years. Hindu Canadians are the target of hate crimes."

"Allowing these things to continue to be done openly and publicly is not acceptable," he stated.

Last week Khalistan supporters verbally abused a Sikh family outside a Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey BC according to some reports.
Now it appears the same Khalistan group want to create trouble at the Hindu Laxmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey.
All these are being done in the name of… https://t.co/szTznICBo0

— Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) November 20, 2023

In August of this year, extremists in Canada defaced a Hindu temple with posters supporting the Khalistan referendum.

The poster on the temple gate featured the image of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force and a designated terrorist, who was killed in June of this year.

The assault on a Hindu temple in Canada is not the first of its kind; radical Khalistanis have carried out several such acts. This year alone saw a number of incidents that were reported.

Graffiti disparaging India was written on the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, in April of this year.

Anti-Indian graffiti was written on the Ram Mandir in Mississauga, Canada, earlier in February. The Indian Consulate General in Toronto denounced the vandalism of the mandir and asked Canadian authorities to look into the matter and take swift action against those who did it.

Anti-Indian graffiti was written on a Hindu temple in Brampton in January, which infuriated the Indian community.

The vandalism at the Gauri Shankar Mandir was denounced by the Indian Consulate General in Toronto, which also noted that the incident had a negative impact on the Indian community's sentiments in Canada.

In the meantime, relations between India and Canada have deteriorated since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated during a debate in the Canadian Parliament that his nation's security services had grounds to suspect that "agents of the Indian government" were responsible for the death of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was also the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey.

However, India categorically denied the allegations, calling them "motivated" and "absurd." Notably, Canada has not yet made available to the public any proof that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed.

On June 18, a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, was gunned down in a parking lot. Nijjar was a designated terrorist in India.

Notably, in September, India suspended its visa services until "further notice" due to a diplomatic impasse with Canada. However, following a careful assessment of the security situation that "takes into account some recent Canadian measures in this regard," India decided last month to resume providing visa services for travellers falling under four different categories to Canada.

India opted to resume providing visa services in Canada for four categories: conference, business, medical, and entry visas, effective October 26.

According to VFS Global, its visa application centers would continue to be open in 10 Indian locations.

Following Canada's announcement that it will be removing 41 of its diplomats from India, the supplier of visa services VFS Global stated that their centers for applying for Canadian visas will still be operating in 10 Indian locations.

In a statement released on October 20, VFS Global said: "Please note that our Canada visa application centers across 10 Indian cities continue to operate properly, as instructed by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)".

In the cities of New Delhi, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Pune, VFS Global runs visa application centers for Canada.

Significantly, IRCC is Canada's main immigration authority and is in charge of reviewing the numerous applications submitted by Indian citizens seeking visas for study, travel, or permanent residence.

After IRCC's statement that the reduction in Canada's diplomatic representation in India will influence the processing time for visas, VFS Global provided the explanation.

"The IRCC is downsizing from 27 to 5 personnel in India. Reduced personnel levels are anticipated to affect processing timelines, but IRCC will still accept and handle applications from India, it said.

Nevertheless, the Canadian immigration board explained that "89% of India's applications are processed through the worldwide network," meaning that the vast majority of applications from India have already been processed outside of India.

The five IRCC employees with Canadian bases who are still in India will concentrate on tasks that call for in-country presence, like expedited processing, printing visas, risk assessment, and managing important partners, it added.

Melanie Joly, the foreign minister of Canada, announced the removal of 41 diplomats from India on October 19 during a press conference in Ottawa. She claimed that the decision by New Delhi to grant diplomatic immunity to only 21 out of the 62 Canadian diplomats now stationed there made the move necessary.

I can confirm that, as of right now, India has formally communicated its intention to dishonestly revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents based in Delhi by October 20. This would put the personal safety of 41 Canadian ambassadors and their 42 dependents in peril of having their immunity revoked on an arbitrary date, she told the news agency ANI.

Joly continued by saying that the action will have an impact on diplomatic operations in several Indian cities. What this signifies for our business in India may be a question on the minds of Canadian viewers. Without a doubt, India's choice will affect the level of services provided to Consulates in both nations. Sadly, all in-person services at our consulates in Chandigarh, Mumbai, and Bangalore must be suspended "She spoke.

Last month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there was a "possible link" between the two countries "in relation to the assassination of pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar to Indian officials in Canada. The accusation has been refuted by the Indian government.

'Canada is not aiming to aggravate the issue,' says Justin Trudeau, as India demands over 40 ambassadors to leave.

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa (REUTERS)

On Tuesday, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated that his country was "not aiming to aggravate the issue" with India. The statements came only hours after New Delhi was reported to have summoned more than 40 ambassadors to leave the country.

"Canada has no intention of escalating the issue with India." Will continue to interact with New Delhi in a responsible and productive manner. "We want to be on the ground in India to assist Canadian families," Trudeau said, according to Reuters.

The Financial Times reported earlier on Tuesday that India has requested the return of 41 diplomats by October 10. Individuals who do not comply with the deadline risk having their diplomatic immunity withdrawn.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Trudeau, however, failed to confirm the claims of expulsion.

For several weeks, relations between India and Canada have been strained after Trudeau stated that there were "credible claims" of New Delhi's participation in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In June, masked gunmen assassinated the 45-year-old Sikh separatist leader, a Canadian citizen. Indian officials vigorously refuted the charges, even as Ottawa backed up its assertions.

Since then, both governments have removed a senior diplomat, and India has cancelled Canadian visas. During the G20 conference in New Delhi earlier this month, Trudeau had heated exchanges with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A few days later, Canada cancelled a scheduled trade trip to India for the fall.

Nijjar's death was the subject of intelligence. According to a New York Times story citing sources, Trudeau's charges were motivated by "shared intelligence among Five Eyes allies."

Meanwhile, American authorities are reported to have informed Ottawa with intelligence on Nijjar's death. According to a New York Times story citing sources, Trudeau's charges were motivated by "shared intelligence among Five Eyes allies." The claims have left the Joe Biden administration in an untenable diplomatic position, with officials admitting the issue but avoiding assigning blame.

(With agency contributions)