How Indian community shut down Khalistan protest in Toronto

The Indian community in Toronto, Canada, assembled en masse on Saturday to counter a pro-Khalistan protest. Waving the Indian Tricolour, the group gathered outside the consulate to support their diplomats and the consulate office in response to what they perceived as a threat to Indian diplomats from Khalistani protesters.

The Indian diaspora rallied with chants such as “Bharat Mata ki jai”, “Vande Mataram”, “Long Live India“, and “Khalistan Murdabad”. They also carried placards stating “Khalistani are not Sikh” and “Canada stop supporting Khalistani Canadian terrorists”. It was reported that pro-Khalistani protesters were seen disrespecting the Tricolour in a video.

Sunil Arora, a member of the Indian diaspora in Canada, stated that they gathered to oppose the Khalistanis and to show their support for both India and Canada. He condemned any suggestions that the protesters might harm Indian diplomats. Similarly, Anil Shiringi reiterated that the Indian diaspora had gathered to support the Indian Consulate against the perceived Khalistani threat.

Toronto’s Indian diaspora unites against Khalistan protest. Photo courtesy of motionstock from Pixabay.

Vidya Bhushan Dhar, another Indian community member participating in the counter-protest, appealed to the Canadian government to take action, arguing that the Khalistani protests were not a form of freedom of expression but rather a promotion of treason and separatism.

Pro-Khalistani groups had previously announced rallies outside Indian Missions in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia after the alleged killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Canada last month. Posters threatening Indian diplomats in Canada and the US had been circulated following this announcement.

Over the last few months, three significant anti-India incidents involving Khalistani separatists have been reported in Canada. India has raised concerns over the threats to its diplomats, particularly those mentioned in the posters promoting a pro-Khalistan rally, namely Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and the Consulate General of India in Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava. The posters, allegedly circulated by Sikh extremists, accused them of involvement in the alleged killing of Nijjar.