Image for representation only | Photo credit: Reuters

A Canadian police officer has been suspended for participating in a pro-Khalistan protest outside the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton, according to a news report.

Sunday November 3, 2024, demonstrators brandished Khalistan flags clashed with people in a Hindu temple and disrupted a consular event co-organized by temple authorities and the Indian consulate.

Unverified videos were circulating on social media about the protest. The videos appeared to show protesters holding banners in support of Khalistan, as reported by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Peel police are “aware of a video circulating on social media showing an off-duty Peel police officer involved in a protest,” media relations officer Richard Chin said in an email to CBC News.

“This officer has since been suspended in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act,” he said.

“We are investigating the full circumstances described in the video and are unable to provide further information until this investigation is completed.”

Peel police previously said three people had been charged after violence broke out while Indian consular officials visited the Hindu temple Sabha Mandir on Sunday.

Videos circulating on social media show protesters holding banners in support of Khalistan, the CBC report added.

Later in the day, protesters marched toward the Westwood Mall in nearby Mississauga, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

Shortly after, a third protest took place outside the Malton gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship on Airport Road in Mississauga, the report added.

“Although these demonstrations took place in three different locations, they appear to be linked to each other. Several incidents between demonstrators and worshipers broke out,” police said in a statement.

India Monday condemned the temple attack with the hope that those who engage in violence “will be prosecuted.”

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said New Delhi remained “deeply concerned” about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada.

“We condemn the acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton, Ontario. We call on the Government of Canada to ensure that all places of worship are protected from such attacks,” the spokesperson said. – MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. saying in the statement.