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Canada investigating ‘off-duty’ police officer among Khalistanis who attacked Hindu temple in Brampton
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Canada investigating ‘off-duty’ police officer among Khalistanis who attacked Hindu temple in Brampton

A police officer has been suspended by Canadian authorities after he was filmed taking part in the Khalistani protest which attacked worshipers at the Hindu temple in Brampton.

Canadian Peel Regional Police said Monday that three people had been arrested and charged over the incident on Sunday.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the officer, identified as Sergeant Harinder Sohi, an 18-year veteran of the service, who was seen participating in the Khalistani protest. Sohi claimed he was receiving death threats after being exposed as a member of the attack team.

Sohi was seen carrying a Khalistan flag, chanting anti-India slogans with other protesters.

Peel police spokesperson Richard Chin acknowledged Sohi’s presence among the Khalistani protesters, saying they were “aware of a video circulating on social media that shows an off-duty Peel police officer involved in a demonstration.

“This officer has since been suspended in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act. We are investigating the full circumstances described in the video and are unable to provide further information until that investigation is completed. not finished,” Chin added.

Also read: What happened at the Brampton Temple? MP says Canadian Khalistanis have ‘crossed the red line’

Sohi has not been charged as he has not yet been accused of committing a crime. If he is charged, he will get support from the police union, because an off-duty incident doesn’t typically get funding for his legal defense.

As for whether Sohi was working undercover, police union sources told the Toronto Sun he was not working as an undercover agent.

After the attack, Canadian MP Chandra Arya said he believed there was “a small grain of truth in the reports that, in addition to the Canadian political apparatus, the Khalistanis had indeed infiltrated our law enforcement.”

Meanwhile, Peel police have arrested and charged Dilpreet Singh Bouns, 43, of Mississauga, Vikas, 23, of Brampton and Amritpal Singh, 31, of Mississauga, in connection with this case.

Police said the same protesters who demonstrated outside the Brampton temple were later transferred to two separate locations in Mississauga, Ontario.

The action comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to X to condemn the attack on a Hindu temple in Canada while urging the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.