The celebration of former prime minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination during a parade in Canada’s Brampton has generated a massive uproar. The Indo-Canadian MP Chandra Arya from the ruling Liberal Party has demanded action in response to the depiction of the former PM’s assassination and stressed that Khalistan supporters “have crossed a line.” The parade was taken out by Khalistan supporters on June 4, ahead of the 39th anniversary of Operation Blue Star on June 6.
On June 9, the Indo-Canadian MP went on Twitter and severely criticised the action by the Khalistan supporters, and they have reached a ‘new low.’ He states, “Khalistan supporters in Canada have reached new low with a despicable float in a recent Brampton parade.”
He described the parade, “The float celebrated the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with her cutout in white saree soaked in blood and cutouts of her bodyguard turned killers brandishing and pointing guns.” He added, “This is not what our country Canada stands for. Tolerating glorification of violence and public promotion of hate goes against everything our country believes in.”
He added that Khalistan supporters had crossed limits this time, and the government should respond, “Khalistan supporters have crossed a line, and Canada should and must respond.”
The assassination was portrayed in the tableau as a ‘revenge’ for Operation Bluestar, the military operation ordered by Indira Gandhi in 1984 to drive the separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and his allies out of the Amritsar Golden Temple complex. Other tableaux at the event included Bhindranwale posters, which infuriated anger and outrage in India.
The governments of both nations condemned this incident. On June 8, Canadian High Commissioner in India Cameron MacKay came on record to condemn the depiction of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, saying that there is “no place for hate or glorification of violence in Canada.” He tweeted, “I am appalled by reports of an event in Canada that celebrated the assassination of late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities.”
India expressed displeasure to the Canadian Government on June 7 over the incident. India’s High Commission in Ottawa sent a formal note to Global Affairs Canada (GAC), describing the occurrence as “not acceptable.” An Indian official said, “You cannot exceed freedom of expression like this, glorifying the assassination of the leader of a democratic nation.”
While condemning the incident, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar said, “India fails to understand why Canada gives space to separatists and extremists, other than vote bank politics.” Jaishankar states that these incidents by Khalistan supporters are not good for the relations between the two nations, “There is a larger question, not just this one incident. This is not good for the India-Canada relationship and for Canada itself.”
Even Indo-Canadian organisations also voiced their outrage. The National Alliance of Indo-Canadians called out Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Marco Mendicino and tweeted, “Hon. @marcomendicino Why celebrate violence in Canada #PublicSafety requires peaceful co-existence and not confrontation. Does it not affect relations with India, another Commonwealth democracy?”
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