A priest at the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton, Canada, has been suspended for spreading “violent rhetoric” during Sunday’s clashes, Mayor Patrick Brown said Thursday.

Protesters carrying Khalistan flags clashed with Hindu temple residents on Sunday and disrupted a consular event co-hosted by temple authorities and the Indian consulate. Several unverified videos circulated on social media about the protest. The videos appeared to show protesters holding banners in support of Khalistan.

Sikh and Hindu Canadians want to live in harmony, says mayor

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, in an article on X, said the priest had spread “violent rhetoric.” “This is leadership that is helpful. The vast majority of Sikh and Hindu Canadians want to live in harmony and do not tolerate violence. Hindu Sabha Mandir Chairman Madhusudan Lama has suspended the expert who broadcast a violent rhetoric. The Sikh and Gurdwara Council of Ontario denounced the acts of violence in the Hindu Sabha on Sunday evening,” he wrote on X.

“Remember, we all have more in common than what divides us. In times of tension, we cannot let agitators fuel the flames of division. Leaders of the Sikh and Hindu communities in the Greater Toronto Area do not want this division, this hatred and this violence,” added the mayor. Brown asked community members not to react to violence and hatred.

“Law enforcement will be there to respond. That’s their job. We must continue to be the country where the rule of law is respected,” he said in his appeal.

This is leadership that is useful. The vast majority of Sikh and Hindu Canadians want to live in harmony and do not tolerate violence.

Hindu Sabha Mandir Chairman Madhusudan Lama suspended the pundit who spread violent rhetoric.

The Sikhs and Gurdwaras of Ontario… pic.twitter.com/1JacvwniVx

-Patrick Brown (@patrickbrownont) November 5, 2024

Earlier, a Canadian police officer was also suspended after videos on social media showed him participating in the pro-Khalistan protest outside the Brampton temple.