Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned “unacceptable” violence at a Hindu temple near Toronto on Sunday, following clashes blamed by some leaders on Sikh activists. Local police in the city of Brampton, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northwest of Toronto, said they deployed heavily outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir to maintain calm during of a demonstration.

A Peel Regional Police spokesperson told AFP no arrests had been made. Police also refused to deny responsibility for the reported violence. “The acts of violence committed today at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely,” Trudeau wrote on X.

Chandra Arya, a federal MP and member of Trudeau’s Liberal Party, blamed the incident on “Khalistanis,” a reference to supporters of the fringe separatist movement for an independent Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab state.

Relations between Canada and India deteriorated after Ottawa accused the Indian government of orchestrating the 2023 killing in Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistan activist.

Beyond Nijjar’s killing, Canada has accused India of leading a broad campaign targeting Sikh activists on Canadian soil, which Ottawa says was accompanied by intimidation, threats and violence.
“A red line was crossed today by the Canadian Khalistani extremists,” Arya, who is Hindu, posted on X.

“The Khalistani attack on Hindu-Canadian worshipers inside the Hindu Sabha temple premises in Brampton shows how deep and brazen Khalistani violent extremism has become in Canada,” he said.

A video circulating on social media appears to show individuals carrying yellow Khalistan flags confronting a rival group, including people waving Indian flags. There were also isolated fights, videos show.

Trudeau had previously accused the Indian government of violating Canadian sovereignty. India has rejected these allegations. Delhi and Ottawa each expelled the other’s ambassador and other senior diplomats earlier this month.