BRAMPTON, ON — Police have made another arrest and are searching for two more suspects following tense and sometimes violent protests at a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area.

Violence broke out at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton on Sunday after a visit by Indian officials was met by protesters demanding a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan.

That protest spread to two other locations in Mississauga, Ontario, and continued Monday, with hundreds of protesters from opposing sides gathering outside the Brampton temple before being dispersed by police.

Peel Regional Police say several offenses took place during the protests and many of them were caught on camera, including one where someone is seen using a loudspeaker to incite violence by calling people to storm Sikh temples.

A 57-year-old Toronto man was arrested Wednesday and charged with public incitement to hatred. He is due to appear in a Brampton court at a later date.

Three people had already been arrested and a Peel police officer was suspended after Sunday’s events, with videos on social media showing what appeared to be fist fights and people hitting each other with sticks on the compound of the temple.

Police say arrest warrants have been issued for a 24-year-old man from Kitchener, Ont., and a 22-year-old man of no fixed address, who are wanted on charges of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and conspiracy with intent to commit armed assault and conspiracy to commit mischief.

There was also unrest in British Columbia on Sunday as pro-Khalistan protesters gathered outside a temple in Surrey during a visit by Indian consular officials.

Surrey RCMP said three people were arrested after violence broke out.

In response to recent events, the Indian consulate in Toronto announced that it was suspending some of its diplomatic visits to process paperwork at places like religious temples.

The violence further increased tensions between Canada and India following the expulsion of six Indian diplomats in October when the RCMP flagged them as persons of interest in alleged crimes against Canadians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 7, 2024.

The Canadian Press