Canberra/New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the incidents of violence perpetrated by Khalistani elements at a Hindu temple in Ontario, Canada, were deeply concerning and videos of the incident are enough to show the political space being given to extremist forces by Ottawa.
Answering a question, at a press conference with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, on the allegations by Canada of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in British Columbia, EAM Jaishankar said that “Canada has developed a pattern of making allegations without providing specifics”.
He said the fact that Canada is putting Indian diplomats “under surveillance is something which is unacceptable”.
He said that videos of the violence inside the premises of the Hindu Sabha temple grounds in Brampton, Ontario, “would tell you the political space today which is being given to extremist forces there”.
Responding to Penny Wong saying that Australia believes in the right to peaceful protest, he said that India believes in freedoms, “but we also believe that freedom should not be misused”.
He said that he had a talk with Wong about it, “exactly on the lines on which I have spoken”.
Asked for his reaction to the Brampton incident, the EAM said that the MEA spokesperson has released a statement and PM Modi has also expressed his concern.
“What happened yesterday at the Hindu temple was deeply concerning; you would have seen the statement by the official spokesperson and the expression of concern by our PM yesterday. That should convey to you how deeply we feel about it.”
On reports of two Hindu temples being vandalised in Australia, Wong said: “People have a right to be safe and to be respected, regardless of who they are in our country, that’s the essence of our multicultural democracy.”
On the Canada incident, she said: “We’ve made clear our concerns about the allegations that are under investigation; we’ve said that we respect Canada’s judicial process; we’ve conveyed our views to India, and we have a principled position in relation to the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, and also frankly on the sovereignty of all countries.”
