India-Canada row: India cancels consular camps in Toronto over lack of ‘minimum security’ assurance 

Amid ongoing diplomatic tensions, the Indian Consulate in Canada has cancelled the scheduled consular camps to issue life certificates to applicants. 

The Indian Consulate in Canada has cancelled the camps after the security agencies conveyed their “inability to provide minimum security protection” to the organisers of the camp, the Consulate General of India, Toronto said on November 7. 

The move comes just days after a series of violent attacks by Khalistani extremists in the consular camps in Brampton, Surrey and Vancouver. The latest attack took place in Brampton on November 3 during regular consular work to issue local life certificates to Indian and Canadian applicants. 

The life certificate is a crucial document to ensure one’s pension continues. 

The Indian High Commission in Ottawa blamed the ‘anti-India elements’ for violence outside the consular camp co-organised with the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton. 

Several Indian Sikh diaspora were present at the hall inside the camp at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton when the attack took place outside by the Khalistani extremists, who were seen carrying Khalistan flags.  

Previously, attempts were made to disrupt similar camps held in Vancouver and Surrey on November 2. 

“It is deeply disappointing to see such disruptions being allowed for routine consular work being organised by our Consulates with the fullest cooperation of local co-organizers. We also remain very concerned for the safety of applicants, including Indian nationals, on whose demand such events are organised in the first place. Despite these efforts by anti-India elements, our Consulate was able to issue more than 1000 life certificates to the Indian and Canadian applicants…” the High Commission had said.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed the “deliberate attack” outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir and called on Trudeau government for justice. “I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada. Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve. We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law,” he wrote on X (formally twitter). 

External affairs minister S Jaishankar termed the attack “deeply concerning". 

Speaking at the House of Commons in the Canadian Parliament on November 6, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the communities who instigated the violence were neither the Sikh community nor the Hindu community in Canada, failing to underscore the involvement of Khalistani separatists in the attacks.