Canada condemns violence at Hindu temple near Toronto

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned as "unacceptable" violence at a Hindu temple near Toronto on Sunday, following skirmishes blamed by some leaders on Sikh activists.

Local police in the city of Brampton, roughly 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of Toronto, said they had deployed heavily outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir in order to maintain calm during a protest.

A spokesman for the Peel Regional Police told AFP that no arrests had been made. Police have also declined to assign blame for the reported violence.

"The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practise their faith freely and safely," Trudeau wrote on X.

A federal lawmaker and member of Trudeau's Liberal Party, Chandra Arya, blamed the incident on "Khalistanis," a reference to supporters of the fringe separatist movement for an independent Sikh homeland in India's Punjab state.

Relations between Canada and India have nosedived after Ottawa accused the Indian government of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan activist.

Beyond Nijjar's killing, Canada has accused India of directing a broad campaign targeting Sikh activists on Canadian soil, which Ottawa says has included intimidation, threats and violence.

"A red line has been crossed by Canadian Khalistani extremists today," Arya, who is Hindu, posted on X.

"The attack by Khalistanis on the Hindu-Canadian devotees inside the premises of the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton shows how deep and brazen has Khalistani violent extremism has become in Canada," he said.

Video circulating on social media appears to show individuals carrying yellow Khalistan flags clashing with a rival group, including people holding Indian flags. There were also isolated fist fights, videos show.

Trudeau charged the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with violating Canadian sovereignty.

India has rejected the allegations. Delhi and Ottawa earlier this month each expelled the other's ambassador and other senior diplomats.