A priest of the Hindu Sabha Temple in Canada’s Brampton has been suspended for spreading “violent rhetoric” during Sunday’s clashes, Mayor Patrick Brown said on Thursday.
Protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with people at the Hindu temple and disrupted a consular event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate on Sunday. Several unverified videos circulated on social media about the protest. The videos appeared to show demonstrators holding banners in support of Khalistan.
Sikh And Hindu Canadians Want To Live In Harmony: Mayor
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown in a post on X said the priest spread “violent rhetoric”. “This is leadership that is helpful. The vast majority of Sikh Canadians and Hindu Canadians want to live in harmony and don’t tolerate violence. Hindu Sabha Mandir President Madhusudan Lama has suspended the pundit who spread violent rhetoric. The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council denounced the acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha on Sunday night,” he wrote on X.
“Remember we all have more in common than what divides us. In tense times, we can’t let the agitators fuel the flames of division. The leadership of both Sikh and Hindu communities in the GTA do not want this division, hate and violence,” the Mayor added. Brown asked people in the community to not respond to violence and hate.
“Law enforcement will be there to respond. This is their job. We must continue to be the country where the rule of law is followed,” he said in his appeal.
This is leadership that is helpful. The vast majority of Sikh Canadians and Hindu Canadians want to live in harmony and don’t tolerate violence.
Hindu Sabha Mandir President Madhusudan Lama has suspended the pundit who spread violent rhetoric.
The Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara… 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 temple in Brampton.