Month-long consular camps organised by India’s missions in Canada begin
The consular camps span multiple cities in seven provinces. The temple that was violently attacked by pro-Khalistan radicals last November is not among them
Toronto: The Hindu temple in Canada which was violently attacked by pro-Khalistan radicals last November, is not hosting a consular camp this year.
The Hindu Sabha Mandir in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was invaded by pro-Khalistan protesters on November 3, 2024. That incident led to several arrests including Inderjeet Gosal, principal organiser in Canada of the secessionist groups Sikhs for Justice’s so-called Khalistan Referendum. Gosal was charged with assault.
The pro-Khalistan demonstration outside the temple was because it was holding a consular camp with officials from India’s Consulate in Toronto on its premises that day. The mandir does not appear on the list released by India’s High Commission in Ottawa of 25 temples, gurdwaras, civic centres and other venues for the camps this year.
The consular camps for the purpose of providing life certificates to pensioners close to their place to residence commenced on Saturday and will continue till November 30.
While protests were held at the temples in the GTA which held the camps this weekend, a large deployment of local police prevented any disruption. The venues in the GTA were the Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga and the Bharat Mata Mandir in Brampton. Gosal was among those that participated in the protest.
A camp was also held at the historic Ross Street Gurdwara of the Khalsa Diwan Society in Vancouver on Saturday. “It was successful, 390 people got life certificates,” KDS’ recording secretary Joginder Sunner said. The gurdwara had obtained a court order barring protesters from gathering within 100-metre of the place of worship.
India’s Consulate in Toronto noted that a total of nearly 2,200 life certificates were issued to pensioners at the four camps over the weekend.
The camps will cover Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, London, Windsor, Kitchener and Oakville in the province of Ontario, Vancouver, Surrey, Abbotsford and Prince George in British Columbia, Winnipeg in Manitoba, Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Montreal in Quebec and Halifax in Nova Scotia.
