New Delhi: India on Tuesday (May 7) said that the “glorification of violence” should not be part of any “civilised society”, following a religious parade in a Canadian city featuring floats displaying messages supporting the secessionist Khalistani movement.
Earlier on Saturday, a ‘nagar kirtan’ parade was held Malton, a township near Toronto city. As per visuals of the procession uploaded on YouTube, there were Khalistani flags and floats celebrating Khalistani militants and marking the anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that “celebration and glorification of violence should not be a part of any civilised society”.
“Democratic countries which respect the rule of law should not allow intimidation by radical elements in the name of freedom of expression,” he added.
Further, he claimed that India remained “concerned about the security of our diplomatic representatives in Canada and expect the Government of Canada to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear”.
The MEA spokesperson said that India had previously protested the inclusion of a float showing the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and threats made against Indian diplomats on posters.
“We again call upon the Government of Canada to stop providing criminal and secessionist elements a safe haven and political space in Canada,” said Jaiswal.
Relations between Canada and India have been at a nadir since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had pointed fingers at Indian government agents for being involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whom New Delhi considers to be a Khalistani terrorist.
India dismissed the allegations and asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic representation in Indian cities. India had also stopped visa services for Canadians claiming threats against its diplomats, but this was restarted within a week.
US prosecutors in November 2023 had claimed in an indictment that an Indian government official, who had allegedly directed the attempt to kill a pro-Khalistani lawyer in New York, was also linked to the shooting of Nijjar.
India had agreed to examine the claims by US prosecutors but continues to assert that Canada had not provided any information to New Delhi. Last week, Canada announced the arrest of three Indian nationals in the Nijjar case.
Indian government officials have also asserted that the main issue with Canada has been that they do not act against Khalistani organisations. In turn, Canadian officials have complained that the information provided by New Delhi does not attract any criminal charges as per Canadian law.
Incidentally, Canadian newspaper The Globe and the Mail reported on Tuesday that during the ill-fated Indian tour of Prime Minister Trudeau, he was forced to meet then Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh who handed over a dossier on Khalistani terrorists in Canada.
The newspaper quoted a former member of Canada’s spy agency, CSIS, as saying that it was difficult to believe that India provided “credible evidence”.
“When you look at their security intelligence services and the reliability of their information, with the Indians, it’s always been problematic,” said Dan Stanton, who worked on Sikh extremism in the 1990s in CSIS.
