New Delhi protests against anti-India parade in Toronto

India on Monday lodged a strong protest with the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi over a parade held by Khalistani elements and sympathisers in Toronto. The event included a truck mock-up of a jail bearing effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and called for the deportation of 800,000 Hindus to India.

“We have conveyed our concerns in the strongest terms to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi regarding the parade held in Toronto, where unacceptable imagery and threatening language were used against our leadership and Indian citizens residing in Canada,” sources in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The MEA further stated, “We once again call on Canadian authorities to take action against anti-India elements who promote hatred, extremism and a separatist agenda.”

Earlier in the day, the anti-Hindu parade took place at the Malton Gurdwara in Toronto. A video of the event has since gone viral on social media. The incident follows a spate of vandalism targeting a Sikh gurdwara and a Hindu temple in Canada, both defaced with pro-Khalistan graffiti.

A Hindu community leader in Canada posted the video online, condemning what he described as “blatant anti-Hindu hatred” propagated by a Khalistani terrorist group.

The controversial parade comes just days after Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party won the national elections. Many had expressed hope that bilateral ties with India would improve under his leadership.

In April, Khalistan flags and anti-India visuals were also seen at the annual Khalsa Day Baisakhi Parade in Surrey, British Columbia. That event drew criticism after “wanted” posters featuring PM Modi and Shah were displayed prominently.

India