Court approves buffer zone ahead of expected protests at Vancouver Sikh temple
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted an order to establish a buffer zone around one of the province's largest Sikh temples this Saturday in advance of expected confrontations between protesters and Indian consular officials.
The Khalsa Diwan Society, which runs the Ross Street Gurdwara, says in court documents that it expects "intense protests" at two "consular camps" scheduled for Nov. 2 and Nov. 16 after the RCMP made allegations about Indian officials' involvement in criminal activity in Canada.
The court documents say the camps give seniors of Indian descent a chance to meet with consular officials to complete administrative tasks, mostly related to their pensions, without having to attend the consulate in Vancouver.
Six Indian diplomats were expelled from Canada last month over allegations that they used their position to collect information on Canadians in the pro-Khalistan independence movement and then pass that on to criminal gangs who targeted the individuals directly.
The movement is an effort to create a separate homeland for Sikhs in India's Punjab region.
The society says in the court documents that Vancouver police have plans to deploy "significant resources" for crowd control.
"The society expects that the consular camps … will draw intense protests from individuals who believe that all Indian consular offices should be shut down in Canada, and that consular officials should not be allowed to enter the Ross Street Gurdwara in furtherance of official business on behalf of the Government of India," the documents say.
Earlier this week, deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison confirmed a report that Canada is alleging an Indian cabinet minister and close adviser to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered intelligence-gathering operations targeting Canadians.
The Washington Post first reported that Canadian officials alleged Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah was behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists in Canada.
Nathalie Drouin, the prime minister's national security adviser, told a National Security Committee on Tuesday that Canada has evidence the Indian government first gathered information on Indian nationals and Canadian citizens in Canada through diplomatic channels and proxies.
She said the information was then passed along to the government in New Delhi, which allegedly works with a criminal network with links to homicides, assassination plots, coercion and other violent crimes in Canada.
The B.C. court documents say protests at last year's camps meant police officers had to use a "decoy plan" to escort consular staff out of the gurdwara from a side door to avoid confrontations, and things have intensified since then.
Those protests were months after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., and proponent of a non-binding referendum on the quest for the independent homeland of Khalistan within India.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons there is credible intelligence about a potential link between India’s government and the killing of Nijjar.
The court order prohibits protesting, blocking the sidewalks or intimidating anyone trying to enter the property within 50 metres of the roads surrounding the temple from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Parts of Canada hit with freezing rain, heavy snowfall warnings, expected to last through Monday
Significant snowfall and heavy rain hit parts of Canada on Sunday and the weather system is expected to continue into Monday morning and throughout the day.
Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad?
Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader of the insurgency in Syria, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing to ties to al-Qaida.
Suspect wanted after victim forcibly confined, assaulted, and threatened with death in Scarborough
Police have released images of an individual who allegedly forcibly confined, and assaulted and threatened to kill another person in southwest Scarborough over the weekend.
Jay-Z accused of sexually assaulting 13-year-old in 2000 incident along with Sean 'Diddy' Combs
A woman who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Sean 'Diddy' Combs has amended her lawsuit to include allegations that she was also assaulted by Jay-Z at the same party.
Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a U.S. withdrawal from NATO is possible
Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as U.S. president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office.
A timeline of the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the search for his killer
The search for the killer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson's has stretched beyond New York City and continues. Here's what we know so far.
Baby found dead in south Edmonton parking lot: police
Police are investigating the death of an infant in south Edmonton.
Pantone names its colour of the year for 2025
Pantone has named an 'evocative soft brown' its colour of the year for 2025, continuing a tradition that has now run for more than a quarter of a century.
Do you recognize these men? RCMP seek Metro Vancouver grandparent scam suspects
Mounties in Metro Vancouver have released photos of two men alleged to have been involved in “numerous” so-called grandparent scams earlier this year, hoping the public can help identify them.