Khalistan is Justin Trudeau’s Frankenstein or the jinn that will never go back into the bottle. It has begun to act on its own now, as the violence at the counsel camp at a Hindu temple in Brampton this Sunday shows.
There is a real possibility, given the fear factor, that the Sunday attacks would galvanise the Indian diaspora including Hindus and Sikhs against the Khalistanis and their political backers.
Khalistani miscreants – who ironically claim to represent the interests of the Sikh community – staged a disruption outside the temple on Sunday, while hundreds of Sikh attendees were present inside the temple premises. Photographs shared by the High Commission captured the peaceful gathering within the venue in stark contrast to the turmoil outside.
On the one hand, there is a minority group of Khalistanis within the Sikh immigrant population. On the other, repeated incidents of attacks on temples have led a sizeable section of Hindu and Sikh immigrants galvanise against the rising tide of Hinduphobia and hate crimes in Canada.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) said it straight on Monday. It highlighted the multiple attacks on Hindu temples across Canada during the Diwali weekend and called on to stop the Hinduphobia in the country.
On Monday, a large group of Canadian Hindus congregated outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton to protest against the repeated attacks on Hindu temples in the country, a day after the temple was attacked by Khalistani goons.
The incident had a cascading effect in and outside Canada. In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the “deliberate attack” and said that “cowardly attempts to intimidate” Indian diplomats were appalling and New Delhi expects Canadian authorities to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
“I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law,” PM Modi said on X. His statement drew over 6.3 million views.
Strikingly, the principal opposition party Congress too condemned the attack stating that the acts of violence perpetrated by Khalistani miscreants were “absolutely condemnable” and urged the government to take up the issue “very strongly” with the Canadian authorities.
The Congress in no uncertain words criticises what happened there, the party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said. “We urge the government of India to take up this issue very strongly with the Canadian authorities. No one can be allowed to disrupt any devotee from going into a temple,” he said in a video statement.
But a sharp criticism of the Trudeau government came from Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu. He slammed Canadian PM Justin Trudeau over the temple attack and charged him with “dividing” the Indian diaspora for his “dirty politics”.
Minister Bittu said, “Justin Trudeau has successfully divided the Indian diaspora in Canada for his dirty politics. Sikhs and Hindus live together in harmony in India but they are being pitched against each other in Canada. I highly condemn the attack on the temple or any religious place of worship by Trudeau’s Khalistani elements.”
He added that the Canadian police were standing in support of the Khalistani elements. Soon his remark gained strength from the fact that social media was flooded with photographs of a Canadian police officer, Sergeant Harinder Sohi, out of uniform and taking part actively among the Khalistani mob that attacked the Hindu temple. The officer was subsequently suspended. It was possibly the only decisive action from the Trudeau government.
Meanwhile, his government has come under immense pressure from the Indian diaspora groups. The Hindu Sikh Forum Canada said in a statement that this “unprovoked assault threatens not only Hindu-Canadian devotees but the very fabric of Canada’s social harmony”, adding that “divisive actors and self-serving politicians” were attacking the Hindu-Sikh bond for personal gains.
On their part, Canadian politicians paid lip service in “condemning” the Sunday violence. Prime Minister said that the “acts of violence” at the temple are “unacceptable” and that “every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely”.
Toronto MP Kevin Vuong said “Canada has become a safe harbour for radicals”, adding that the leaders of the country had failed to protect the Hindus. “Alarming to see an attack on Hindu Canadians. From Khalistani extremists to terrorist cosplayers, Canada has become a safe harbour for radicals.”
Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre also condemned the attack and called it “completely unacceptable”. Poilievre reiterated that Conservatives condemned the attack and pledged to bring people together to restore order.
However, majority of the Canadian politicians including prominent ones of the Conservatives and the Liberals willfully omitted Khalistani extremism as an abject sign of political expediency at the cost of Canadian Hindus.
Significantly, the United States has not reacted to the violence. It also did not condemn a Khalistani terrorist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, threatening Hindus if they engaged in fireworks displays on Diwali day on Nov. 1.
The silence is much in contrast to its criticism of India over Canadian allegations about the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Trudeau’s open support to the Khalistanis in Canada is the latest in a series of capitulations by Canadian ruling politicians. In the 1980s, when the concept of Khalistan had taken root in Punjab in India, Canada neglected the growing sentiments within its boundaries.
So much so, Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, when he was Prime Minister, refused to extradite a Khalistani terrorist. How the Canadian government dealt with the accused in the Kanishkar bombing case is well known.
Under Trudeau’s charge, the Canadian parliament observed a minute’s silence on the first death anniversary of terrorist Nijjar. This reflects a calculated political effort to turn a blind eye to Khalistani extremism for their votes.
Canadian politicians, in their urgency to show leniency, even ignored their government’s 2018 policy paper that identified Khalistani extremism as a security threat to Canada. As part of its appeasement policy, the Trudeau administration removed the references to this extremism from the final report.
As events now show, Trudeau is caught in his own complex political web. On the other hand, the Khalistani elements are an emboldened lot, assured of the Canadian government’s support for their actions – a quid pro quo for votes.
The ramifications are there for all to see.