Peel Police suspended after participating in protest at Brampton Hindu temple

A Peel Regional Police officer was suspended on Sunday after participating in a contentious protest outside a Hindu temple in Brampton.

Media Relations Officer Richard Chin confirmed that the force is aware of a video circulating on social media that shows the off-duty officer involved in the demonstration, CBC news reported.

In a statement, Chin said “This officer has since been suspended in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act. We are investigating the circumstances depicted in the video in totality and cannot provide further information until the investigation is complete.”

Videos posted on social media appeared to show people hitting each other with flagpoles and throwing punches in the Toronto suburb of Brampton.

The incident happened weeks after Ottawa expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in 2023 in Canada. It has accused the Indian government of conducting a broad campaign against South Asian dissidents in Canada, something New Delhi denies.

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The local Peel Police said on Monday that three people faced criminal charges over Sunday’s protest, without providing further details.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a strongly worded statement on X on Monday.

“I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats,” Modi said.

“Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law,” he said.

His Canadian counterpart, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said on Sunday the “acts of violence” were unacceptable.

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India has accused Trudeau of pursuing a “political agenda” in their dispute and responded to Ottawa’s expulsion of its diplomats by expelling six Canadian diplomats.

The North America-based activist group Sikhs for Justice said on Sunday that “pro-Khalistan Sikhs who were peacefully demonstrating… were violently attacked by a group of Indo Canadians”.