Three Charged As Modi Slams Canada Hindu Temple Violence

Canadian authorities charged three people on Monday following violence at a Hindu temple which provoked angry condemnation from India and sent already frosty bilateral ties between the two nations to a fresh low.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Sunday's "deliberate attack" outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in the city of Brampton, near Toronto, in which Sikh activists appeared to clash with a rival group.

His Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau has also denounced the violence.

Peel Regional Police, who cover Brampton, said Monday that three people had been arrested and charged in connection with protests at a place of worship.

The alleged offences include assault with a weapon and assaulting a police officer.

"I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada," Modi said in a statement on X.

Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India, and includes activists for "Khalistan", a fringe separatist movement seeking an independent state for the religious minority carved out of Indian territory.

Relations between India and Canada nosedived after Ottawa accused the Indian government of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistan activist.

Trudeau has charged Modi's government with violating Canadian sovereignty over the killing, and of a wider campaign of targeting Sikh activists on Canadian soil.

India has rejected the allegations and accused Ottawa for decades of harboring fringe religious extremists.

"Such acts of violence will never weaken India's resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law," Modi added.

Video circulating on social media appears to show individuals carrying yellow Khalistan flags clashing with a rival group, including people holding Indian flags. There were also isolated fist fights, videos show.

Sikhs for Justice, a pro-Khalistan group with a presence in Canada and the US, said their members were "peacefully protesting" outside the Hindu temple against the presence of Indian consular officials who they say were inside.

Modi said "the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats" was "equally appalling" as the violence.

Arunesh Giri, president of the Canadian Hindu Foundation, told AFP Monday that "fear" is pervasive across the community.

"The Hindu community in Canada is feeling that they are not being provided a safe place for the worship," he said.

His foundation called for rallies Monday outside the Brampton temple and another holy Hindu site in British Columbia in western Canada as a show of "unity."

He urged Canadian leaders -- who have been vocal about the insecurity affecting members of the Sikh community -- to "stand with Hindu Canadians."

India's foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal had earlier said the attack on the temple was carried "perpetrated by extremists and separatists", and asked Canada to "ensure that all places of worship are protected" from such attacks.

"We also expect that those indulging in violence will be prosecuted," he added.

"We remain deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada."

Beyond Nijjar's killing, Canada has accused India of directing a broad campaign against Sikh activists which Ottawa says has included intimidation, threats and violence.

On Saturday, New Delhi denied that interior minister Amit Shah had plotted to target Sikh activists on Canadian soil, and said it had officially rebuked Ottawa over the "absurd and baseless" allegation.

New Delhi and Ottawa earlier this month each expelled the other's ambassador and other senior diplomats.