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Still image from video of a protest in Brampton on November 4, 2024. (PunjabBee on X)

Two Indian consulate visits have been postponed following violent protests last week and calls for more demonstrations at temples in Mississauga and Brampton.

Four people were arrested and charged after protests turned violent in Brampton last week, spreading to Mississauga as Hindu and Sikh residents clashed.

Activist group Sikhs For Justice said the first rally was against the presence of Indian consulate officials inside the Brampton temple.

Police now say two planned consulate visits to Mississauga and Brampton this weekend have been postponed “to help ease tensions.”

“Given current tensions in the community and a common interest in maintaining public safety, organizers have agreed that the consular camps be postponed to a later date in order to help ease tensions and limit any negative impact on community,” Peel Regional Police said in a news release. a statement to INsauga.com.

SFJ social media posts called on residents to “counter” the tours, which were “camps to issue life certificates for retirement purposes,” according to the Indian Consulate General.

And while one of the temples said it had been warned by police of a “threat” due to “violent protests”, a Peel police spokesperson said there had been “no no direct threat to any place of worship in Peel Region.” »

But police say residents should expect to see more police around places of worship in Mississauga and Brampton “to reassure the public.”

“In addition, we have actively engaged with community leaders, organizations and local stakeholders to address security concerns and ease tensions,” police said.

The latest person charged following the protests is a prominent activist and SFJ coordinator, whose Brampton home was previously targeted by a shooting.

Peel Regional Police said Inderjeet Gosal, 35, of Brampton, was arrested and charged with assault with a weapon. on November 8 following protests at the temple and was released on conditions pending a future hearing in Brampton.

“The pro-Khalistan Sikh rallies are against Indian diplomats whose presence threatens the lives and security of Canadians and not against a place of worship,” the SFJ said in a social media post.

Gosal was one of the organizers of the Khalistan referendum movement – ​​a non-binding worldwide vote calling for the creation of a Sikh state called Khalistan. He took the lead in the referendum after the killing of Canadian-Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who helped organize a referendum in Brampton before being shot and killed outside a temple in British Columbia in 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Indian government ordered Nijjar’s killing, a claim that has led to strained diplomatic relations between the two countries and which India denies.

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