Protesters sharply criticize gurdwara event at the Indian consulate in Vancouver

A small but vocal group of protesters gathered across the street from the Khalsa Diwan Society gurdwara in South Vancouver on Saturday to protest the presence of Indian Consulate officials at the temple.

The occasion was the first of two ‘consular camps’ planned by the Indian Consulate at the gurdwara. The events aim to provide seniors of Indian origin the opportunity to meet officials and handle administrative matters without having to go to the consulate in the city center.

However, against the backdrop of allegations by Canadian officials that the Indian government is waging a campaign of violence and intimidation against Sikh separatists in Canada, protesters say

Ajaypal Singh, one of about two dozen protesters, told CTV News that those gathered believed Indian officials should not be allowed into Sikh temples.

“We want embassies to be closed and we want the Indian consulate not to engage with Sikh gurdwaras,” Singh said.

He was referring to the Canadian government’s allegation that Indian diplomats were collecting information on Indian and Canadian nationals in Canada and then passing the information on to the Indian government in New Delhi, which is allegedly working with a criminal network linked to murders, murder conspiracies, coercion and other violent crimes. crimes in Canada.

The allegations prompted Canada to expel six Indian diplomats last month, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma.

“Mr. Sanjay Verma, who was expelled, is saying in India that ‘Sikhs are threatening lives’,” Singh said. “On the other hand, they come to our gurdwaras to deal with embassy-related matters. I mean, it’s the height of hypocrisy.”

Tensions between Canada and India have been rising for more than a year, since the June 2023 shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen and a prominent activist for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, which would be located in what is now the state of Punjab in India. The Canadian government maintains that the Indian government was involved in Nijjar’s death.

India has denied all the allegations against them.

Ahead of Saturday’s event, the British Columbia Supreme Court ordered the creation of a 50-meter “buffer zone” around the gurdwara at the request of the Khalsa Diwan Association for fear of “intense protests.”

“The public expects that consular camps (…) of the Government of India,” the court document said.

The court order prohibits protesting, blocking sidewalks and intimidating people trying to enter property within 50 meters of the roads surrounding the temple between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The second consular camp is scheduled for November 16.

With files from The Canadian Press