MUMBAI: India summoned Canada’s High Commissioner on Sunday to “express serious concern”. Over Sikh demonstrators in Canada breaching India’s diplomatic mission and consulates.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Indian consulate in Vancouver. They gathered to demand an independent Sikh state, a decades-old issue that resurfaced.
Canada has the most Sikhs outside Punjab, India.
“It is expected that the Canadian government will take all precautions to safeguard the safety of our diplomats. As well as security of our diplomatic facilities so that they can complete their usual diplomatic activities”. India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
On March 21, Indian police began searching for Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh, who has rekindled talk of an independent Sikh nation and fueled worries of a return to bloodshed that killed tens of thousands in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Moreover, Singh and his supporters charged of attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement, and causing unrest by police.
Last week, Indian police investigated a protest at its London High Commission, where protestors with “Khalistan” banners dragged an Indian flag down from a first-floor balcony to decry recent police action in Punjab state. Last Sunday, India summoned the British ambassador to explain.
Some Sikhs in India and abroad want an independent nation called Khalistan.
