India summoned Canada’s High Commissioner on Sunday to a meeting to express serious concern about Sikh protesters in Canada and how the security of India’s diplomatic mission and consulates was breached.
Many protestors reportedly gathered in front of the Indian consulate in Vancouver on Saturday to voice their support for an independent Sikh state, a long-simmering topic that was recently rekindled.
Sikhs are most numerous in Canada outside of their native state of Punjab in India.
India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it is expected that the Canadian government will take all necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our diplomats and the security of our diplomatic facilities so that they can do their regular diplomatic duties.
The declaration comes after Indian authorities began searching for Sikh preacher Amritpal Singh on March 21. Amritpal Singh has rekindled the discussion of an independent Sikh country and sparked concerns about a resurgence of the bloodshed that claimed tens of thousands of lives in the 1980s and the early 1990s.
Singh has been on the run since last week, when police attempted to stop his motorcade and arrest him, according to the police, who have charged him and his supporters with attempted murder, obstructing law enforcement, and causing a commotion.
Last week, Indian police also launched an investigation into a demonstration at the country’s High Commission in London, where demonstrators holding “Khalistan” banners pulled an Indian flag from a first-floor balcony to protest recent police actions in India’s Punjab province.
