Categories: World

India protests against separatist slogans at Canadian event following killing of Sikh leader a year ago

close Video

Voting begins in India’s general election

India’s incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to win a third term in office as the country begins it 6-week long election. (Reuters.)

India summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner on Monday and expressed “deep concern and strong protest” after separatist slogans in support of a Sikh homeland were raised at an event addressed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Bilateral diplomatic relations soured last year after Trudeau said Canada was “actively pursuing credible allegations” that Indian agents were potentially linked to the June 2023 murder of a Canadian citizen.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a “terrorist” in July 2020.

INDIA’S MODI POISED FOR VICTORY AS 6-WEEK GENERAL ELECTION BEGINS IN WORLD’S LARGEST DEMOCRACY

New Delhi has denied any formal government role in Nijjar’s murder.

A group of protesters hold yellow flags with the word “Khalistan,” as well as a banner with the picture of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh, during a protest outside India’s consulate, a week after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of New Delhi’s involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 25, 2023.  (Reuters/Carlos Osorio/File Photo)

India’s foreign affairs ministry said on Monday it had conveyed “deep concern and strong protest” at such actions “being allowed to continue unchecked at the event”.

Slogans supporting the rise of a separatist state were raised at an event in Toronto, according to ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“We will always be there to protect your rights and your freedoms, and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination,” ANI reported Trudeau as saying.

Canada has the highest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab in India, and the country has been the scene of many demonstrations that have irked India.

The Canadian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Share

Recent Posts

Trump says Mexico will stop flow of migrants after speaking with Mexican president following tariff threats

President-elect Trump said he spoke with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, saying she has agreed…

1 hour ago

North Carolina siblings say late father is D.B. Cooper after finding alleged parachute in home: report

close Video D.B. Cooper: Who is the mystery man? The mystery behind D.B. Cooper A…

3 hours ago

Birmingham nightclub massacre suspect accused of killing others in four separate shootings: police

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for November 27 Fox News Flash top headlines…

3 hours ago

Sharing is not always caring: 7 dangerous things to post online

Too many people share just about everything online. That’s a one-way ticket to Scamtown. Some…

4 hours ago

Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks beats Dem challenger in state’s 1st Congressional District

Republican Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has successfully fended off Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan in the race for…

4 hours ago

Democrat Derek Tran unseats Rep. Michelle Steel in California’s 45th Congressional District

First-time Democratic candidate and Army veteran Derek Tran has won California's 45th Congressional District, unseating…

4 hours ago