Opinion | Canadian Police: Guardians Of Peace Or Bystanders To Hate?

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Last Updated:November 06, 2024, 16:10 IST

In failing to hold violent Khalistani extremists accountable, Canadian authorities have sent a chilling message: intimidation and violence against Hindus are tolerable if done under the guise of dissent and freedom of expression

In one clip, an officer is seen charging at a protester and repeatedly punching him. (Screengrab via X/@DanielBordmanOG)

On a quiet Diwali weekend, two temples in Canada, long-standing beacons of peace for the Hindu diaspora, became flashpoints of violence. In Brampton, at a Hindu Sabha Mandir, where a towering 55-foot statue of Lord Hanuman stands in majestic repose, the sanctity of worship was violently interrupted. In Surrey, around the same time, a similar desecration played out, but with an unsettling twist: Canadian police, rather than offering protection from violence, reportedly turned their backs on the very devotees they are sworn to safeguard.

This spiralling saga of aggression against Canada’s Hindu community speaks to a growing dissonance, one in which anti-Hindu allegiances and violent extremist ideologies have found combustible alignment. These events call into question not only the Canadian authorities’ role in preserving peace but also their apparent lack of justice in the face of rising extremism against Hindus. The incidents bear the markings of a broader issue that Canada, under the guise of neutrality, may have dangerously fuelled.

The Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton stands as a symbol of spiritual and cultural unity for the Hindu community, with its towering Hanuman statue serving as a proud reminder of ancient heritage in the Canadian landscape. Yet, as Indian consular officials visited the temple to offer routine services, scenes of unrest unfolded that shattered the temple’s tranquillity. Khalistani extremists, aligned with the banned Sikhs for Justice extremist group, staged a violent protest that devolved into open aggression against temple-goers.

(Image: Rahul Sharma/CIHS)

Video footage shared across social media captured harrowing moments as Hindu devotees were set upon, beaten, and confronted with large sticks by extremists. The aggressive violence by these extremists was an unprovoked assault on a peaceful community engaged in their sacred observances. Sikhs for Justice, a group with known links to Pakistan and a history of terrorism linked to the violent Khalistan secessionist movement, had explicitly voiced their desire to disrupt consular services outside official premises, claiming these events posed a “threat" to the Khalistani cause.

Peel Regional Police, responsible for overseeing law enforcement in Brampton, have faced sharp criticism for their response—or lack of it. Despite widespread violence, no arrests were made, a decision that many say reflects worrisome leniency. Peel Police released a brief statement pledging to “investigate any acts of violence or threats," yet, to date, no charges have been filed. This inaction starkly contrasts with the force’s rapid response to similar instances of disorderly conduct in other communities.

For Hindu Canadians, these events highlight a troubling trend. Liberal MP Chandra Arya condemned the incident, calling attention to what he described as a “free pass" given to Canadian Khalistani extremists. As he noted, “These extremists receive a degree of immunity that raises serious questions about Canada’s commitment to protecting its citizens equally."

Across the country in Surrey, a gathering of Hindu devotees at a temple similarly faced intimidation from Khalistani extremists operating with impunity in Canada. As people of all ages congregated to pray, the Khalistanis arrived with charged slogans, invoking Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a notorious Khalistani extremist recently slain under murky circumstances. Far from remaining a peaceful protest, the event quickly turned menacing, with calls for Hindus to “go back to their country."

Yet, what unfolded next was perhaps more disturbing than the protest itself. As tensions escalated, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) intervened—but not to protect the threatened Hindu worshippers. Instead, in an act that left the Hindu community in shock and disbelief, the RCMP detained three Hindu devotees, who were then escorted from temple grounds in full view of the protestors who had incited the incident. The reason for these detentions remains undisclosed, but the message it sent was clear: the victims of intimidation were cast as the culprits.

This police action has left many questioning the RCMP’s impartiality. At a time when Hindus in Canada felt increasingly vulnerable, the police response was inadequate or complicit. The pattern of law enforcement intervening against Hindu Canadians, rather than protecting them, has fostered deep resentment and fear. A local temple spokesperson pleaded for calm, reminding the community to await further information, but the undercurrent of fear was palpable. Canadian authorities’ seeming unwillingness to protect Hindus, or even acknowledge the intimidation they face, revealed a chasm in the justice system they are meant to trust.

The Indian High Commission in Ottawa released a statement expressing disappointment at the violence allowed to mar routine consular events. “As in previous years," the statement read, “the High Commission and Consulates General of India have planned consular camps during this period to assist local life certificate beneficiaries." However, despite clear forewarning and requests for heightened security, Canadian authorities failed to prevent Khalistani disruption. This dereliction of duty has left Hindus in Canada and beyond questioning the nation’s dedication to ensuring safety for all religious communities.

Diplomatic tensions sparked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau between Canada and India have simmered in recent months, with baseless accusations fueling discord. Yet, Canada’s handling of these incidents hints at something more insidious—the normalisation of extremism under the guise of free speech. It appears that Canada is struggling, or perhaps choosing not to confront, a deeply ingrained bias in its approach to law enforcement when Khalistani sympathisers are concerned. India’s high commission has been left with few choices but to remind Canadian authorities of their duty to protect citizens and consular staff engaged in routine activities. The community they represent, however, feels abandoned, exposed to aggression with no recourse to justice.

As Canada’s Hindu diaspora reflects on these violent episodes, an unsettling reality emerges: their homeland may be an ocean away, but the conflicts it faces seem to have followed them to Canadian shores. Devotees who once sought refuge in Canada, a country that promised peace and safety, now find themselves targeted, harassed, and abandoned by a system that seems unwilling to defend their rights. In these attacks, there is bitter irony—Canada’s celebrated multiculturalism, once a source of pride, has been weaponised against the very people it claimed to protect. As Canadian authorities continue to walk the line between neutrality and negligence, Hindu Canadians are left wondering whether their place in this country is as secure as they once believed.

While the events at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton and the Surrey temple may appear isolated to some, for Canada’s Hindu community, they signify a deeply entrenched, systemic assault—one that has been endured for too long and has now led to a profound breakdown in trust. These incidents are part of an alarming trend across Canada, where Hindu temples have increasingly become targets of intimidation, vandalism, and violence. In January 2023, the Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto was defaced with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti, marking one of the earliest signs of targeted harassment.

Just a few months later, in February 2023, Gauri Shankar Temple in Brampton suffered a similar attack, with vandals leaving hateful messages that many in the community saw as a direct threat. In July 2023, the Bhagavad Gita Park in Brampton—a public space created to celebrate Hindu heritage—was desecrated with anti-Hindu and anti-India slogans. Each incident has added to a growing sense of insecurity among Canada’s Hindu population, with places of worship—once havens of peace—becoming symbols of vulnerability. This ongoing pattern of attacks, alongside perceived police inaction or complicity, has eroded the community’s trust and calls into question Canada’s commitment to upholding the safety and rights of all its citizens equally. As one Hindu worshipper poignantly remarked, “We came to Canada to live in peace, but our children are being threatened, and our temple has been defaced. This is not the Canada we imagined."

In failing to hold violent Khalistani extremists accountable, Canada’s authorities have sent a chilling message: intimidation and violence against Hindus are tolerable if done under the guise of dissent and freedom of expression. Canada’s promise of pluralism and protection now hangs in the balance. When the Hindu community looks to law enforcement for safety, it should not have to question whether the police will act as protectors or passive bystanders. The fear growing within the community is that, in the face of extremist agendas, the police have begun to mistake neutrality for inaction, and tolerance for complicity.