Canadian cops clashed with Hindu devotees protesting an attack on a temple near Toronto by "anti-India elements". The cops assaulted the temple-goers, many of whom were waving the Indian flag, showed a video shared by a Canadian journalist. It also captured a cop charging at a protester and landing multiple punches times on him.
"He is hitting with a stick," the woman who filmed the video is heard saying as she points to an officer, accusing him of assaulting the protesters. The enraged crowd soon starts shouting "take him out".
The journalist who shared the video claimed that the cops went after the Hindu devotees to protect the "Khalistanis who came to harass the temple goers on Diwali".
A mob stormed the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton earlier in the day and attacked devotees, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned. "The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely," Trudeau posted on X.
The Indian embassy said "anti-India elements" orchestrated the violence outside its consular camp co-organized by the temple. Calling it "deeply disappointing", the embassy said there were similar attempts to disrupt camps in Surrey and Vancouver over the past two days.
The incidents come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries triggered by Trudeau's accusation that India was behind the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India, which trashed the charges as baseless, had also accused Canada of providing a safe haven to terrorists and extremists.
