The Government of India is warning its citizens in Canada of a sharp increase in hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-Indian activity.
Posted at 8:22 p.m.
But the leader of a Sikh group based in Mississauga, Ont., said the allegations in a statement released Friday by India’s External Affairs Ministry targeted peaceful political activism by Sikhs in Canada and were baseless.
The Indian ministry released a statement saying it had raised the alleged incidents with Canadian authorities and called for an investigation.
He claims that the perpetrators of the crimes have not been brought to justice in Canada.
However, the statement does not reveal any details about the allegations of acts of a criminal nature or the places where they allegedly occurred.
The Indian ministry says that in view of “the increasing incidence of crime”, Indian nationals and students in Canada are urged to exercise caution and remain vigilant.
No representative from Global Affairs Canada was available to comment on the Indian government’s claim, and the RCMP in Ottawa did not provide an immediate response.
Balpreet Singh, spokesman for the World Organization of Sikhs, said the statement was essentially political and there is no evidence of an increase in sectarian violence or extremism targeting nationals or nationals. Indian students in Canada.
He said a Hindu temple was vandalized with graffiti in Toronto last week, but police have so far not linked the incident to “anti-Indian activity”.
“My organization and other organizations condemn any vandalism of any place of worship. This is unacceptable, so we hope that the culprit will be brought to justice,” Mr Singh said.
He argued that the Indian government’s demands could be in response to a so-called “Khalistan referendum” held in Brampton, Ontario, on creating an independent Sikh homeland.
Mr Singh said tens of thousands of Sikhs voted as part of the effort, organized by Sikhs for Justice.
Similar referendums are being held around the world, he said, and votes are expected to take place in Vancouver and Calgary.
Mr Singh said the referenda posed a threat to the Indian government as Sikhs rallied in support of their goal of an independent homeland.
“The Jews of America played a key role in forming and supporting Israel,” he said, adding that India broke with British rule following activism involving locals of North America in the early 1900s.
Mr Singh said other recent gatherings organized by Sikhs had been decried.
In June, members of Ottawa’s Sikh community called for an investigation after the evacuation from Parliament Hill and the arrest of two men at an event commemorating the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in India.
Police apologized and released members of a group that had organized the event after concluding there was no threat to public safety.
The massacre of Sikhs in India has been linked to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards, after the Indian army attacked the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where militants had occupied the shrine the most sacred of Sikhism.