The Consulate General of India in Toronto announced on Thursday that it had cancelled more consular camps due to the “continued inability” of Canadian authorities to provide “minimum security against heightened threats”.
Consular camps are routinely organised by the Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, including the High Commission in Ottawa and the consulates in Vancouver and Toronto, to assist citizens of Indian origin with documentation services.
On November 3, protests by pro-Khalistan groups erupted during a consular camp organised by the Indian High Commission in partnership with the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton.
Since then, several such camps have been cancelled due to security concerns.
On Thursday, the Consulate General of India said it has had to cancel more camps, including one that was supposed to be held at a police facility.
“Consulate is fully sensitive to the difficulties faced by close to 4,000 elderly members of the diaspora in the Greater Toronto Area – both Indian and Canadian nationals – who have been deprived of an essential consular service,” it said.
Videos of the November 3 incident in Brampton circulating on social media showed men and women attacking temple visitors with sticks.
The pro-Khalistan groups were met with counter-protests from a group holding Indian flags. Tensions soon escalated and the Khalistani groups were reportedly the first to attack the opposing persons.
Canada is home to several organisations that support the demand for Khalistan, an independent homeland for Sikhs that some seek to carve out of India.
The Peel Police has arrested four individuals, including a member of the separatist group Sikhs for Justice, in connection with the November 3 violence.
Sikhs for Justice is headed by separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and is banned in India under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Since 2021, Sikhs for Justice has organised several unofficial “referendums” in foreign countries, including Canada, on whether a separate Sikh homeland, or Khalistan, should be carved out of India.
The development on Thursday comes amid a diplomatic spat between India and Canada.
Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa escalated after the Canadian government alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of another Khalistan separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, near Vancouver in June 2023.
Nijjar was a supporter of Khalistan and the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, which is designated a terrorist outfit in India.