TNI Bureau: On September 23, the Indian government issued an advisory to Indian nationals and students in Canada, citing an increase in hate crimes, sectarian violence, and anti-India activities. This announcement comes just a day after India called the so-called Khalistan referendum held by separatist groups a “farcical exercise.”
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said during a weekly media briefing that India had expressed concerns to Canada about the use of its territory by politically motivated “extremist elements.”
Earlier that day, on September 19, over 100,000 Canadian Sikhs voted in the Khalistan Referendum in Brampton, Ontario, which was organized by the pro-Khalistani group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Social media images showed a large number of men and women queuing to vote in the Khalistan Referendum.
The Indian government had warned the Canadian government about the rise of anti-India forces in the country. The Canadian government, on the other hand, refused to prevent them from expressing their views by holding the Khalistan Referendum and linking it to a peaceful and democratic process within the legal parameters of the country’s laws.
Prior to that, in an apparent hate crime, “Canadian Khalistani extremists” defaced a prominent Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti, prompting the Indian mission to condemn the incident and urge authorities to take swift action against the perpetrators.