Indian consulate visit to GTA temple met with protest again, despite court order

A visit from the Indian consulate to a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area was once again met by protesters, despite a court injunction prohibiting all protest activities outside the place of worship.

Indian diplomats held a consular camp inside the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Scarborough to process documents for seniors who receive pensions from India.

Roughly 100 metres from the temple, protestors with Sikhs for Justice, an organization that supports an independent Sikh state carved out in India, called for Canada to shut down the Indian consulate.

“This is not an issue of Sikhs vs. any religious group. This is the Sikh community standing up against the Indian government and its fascist regime that’s openly promoting violence and targeting Sikhs who are simply raising awareness and raising their voice for a free and sovereign Punjab,” said Kuljeet Singh, a spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice.

The distance was in order to comply with an injunction granted by the Superior Court of Justice on Thursday, preventing protests within 100 metres of the temple between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

The protesters stationed roughly 100 metres away from the temple to comply with a court order. (Saloni Bhugra/CBC)

According to court documents, the consular officials were visiting the Hindu temple Saturday to issue life certificates — a document that must be completed annually so that Indian nationals can continue receiving their pension while abroad.

The temple sought out the order, citing concerns that seniors attending the consular camp as well as Hindu worshippers would feel intimidated.

The consulate has been providing services out of temples for years and should be able to keep doing so, said Ragini Sharma, president of the Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education.

“It’s a service program that they’re providing to the elderly so that they can get their pension,” she said.

“This is not to provoke anybody. They’re just doing what they’ve done for years and they want to be allowed to continue to provide the service to their seniors.”

The Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Scarborough, Ont. on Nov. 30, 2024. Staff from the Indian consulate were there Saturday to help process documents so that they can receive their pensions. (Saloni Bhugra/CBC)

Inside the temple, staff from the Indian consulate sat with seniors and their family members as they got their certificates.

Attendees said the consular pension camps are an essential service for seniors.

“That’s needed because every year we have to submit the life certificate to the bank, to the pension office, so we can get the pensions for our father and parents,” said Bhuvnesh Sharma.

Protesters left the area around 2 p.m. without incident.

Earlier this month, three men were charged after violent clashes took place between protestors in Brampton and Mississauga, including outside a Hindu temple and Sikh gurdwara, Peel police said at the time.

Violence initially broke out at Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton after members of Sikhs for Justice held a protest while Indian consular officials were visiting.

The violent altercations came amid rising diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over allegations of violence against Canadian Sikhs. Canada’s federal government has accused India’s home minister of being behind several attacks on Sikh activists on Canadian soil.

The Indian government denies the accusations.