Thousands of Indo-Canadians protested Monday against the attack on a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area before dispersing as police declared their gathering “unlawful” and deployed armed personnel in anti- riot to eliminate the demonstrators.

Pro-Khalistan radicals broke into the Hindu temple and attacked worshippers. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi led India’s condemnation of the violence and demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice. He called the attack deliberate and said it was part of cowardly attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats.

Relations between India and Canada are at an all-time low amid accusations that the Indian government is linked to the targeting of pro-Khalistan militants in the North American country. India and Canada each sent back six diplomats last month.

On Monday, about 5,000 Indo-Canadians, mostly Hindus, demonstrated outside the temple amid a heavy police presence and the closure of the nearby thoroughfare. Peel Regional Police (PRP) declared the protest an “unlawful assembly” because “weapons” were “observed” at the demonstration. “All parties must leave the area now or face arrest,” the PRP said.

The PRP had earlier confirmed that it had suspended an officer for participating in the pro-Khalistan protest. “We are aware of a video circulating on social media showing an off-duty Peel Police officer involved in a protest. This officer has since been suspended under the Community Safety and Policing Act. We are investigating the full circumstances described in the video and are unable to provide further information until this investigation is completed,” a PRP spokesperson said.

The PRP announced the arrest of four people in connection with three incidents on Sunday, including the violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir. Dilpreet Singh Bouns, 43, of Mississauga, is charged with disturbing a police officer and assaulting a police officer. Vikas, 23, of Brampton, was arrested for assault with a weapon. Amritpal Singh, 31, of Mississauga, has been charged with mischief. A fourth individual was arrested on an unrelated warrant and later released.

The management of Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, British Columbia, was consulting lawyers to potentially sue local police for using “excessive force” against worshipers staging a counter-protest against a pro-Khalistan group gathered from the other side of the street.

The Khalistan elements released footage of the assassination of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in October 1984 and were seen trampling an Indian tricolor flag. Sikh bodyguards assassinated Indira Gandhi in retaliation for the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar to drive out Khalistan terrorists hiding there.

Parshotam Goel, a temple spokesperson, said police arrested three people from the temple grounds who were raising slogans against pro-Khalistani extremists. “They weren’t doing any harm. The police were not allowed to block entry or use force to arrest them. One of them was a 16-year-old,” he said.

Temple management protested outside local police headquarters in Surrey until all three were conditionally released.

“We’re not going to leave things unattended or halfway,” Goel said. He added that the temple had medical examinations carried out on the three people and was in the process of obtaining a legal assessment with a view to prosecuting the officers who “illegally” entered the premises. Goel said nearly 40 organizations, including gurdwaras in British Columbia, were in discussions to take a common stand against intimidation by pro-Khalistan separatists.