Canadian police have clashed with Hindu followers protesting an attack on a temple near Toronto by “anti-India elements”. Police assaulted temple visitors, many of whom were waving the Indian flag, a video shared by a Canadian journalist showed. He also captured a policeman trespassing on a protester and punching him several times.

“He’s hitting himself with a stick,” the woman who shot the video can be heard saying as she points to an officer, accusing him of assaulting the protesters. The angry crowd soon begins to shout “get him out”.

BREAKING: RCMP begin attacking Hindu worshipers at their own temple in Surrey BC.
Watch as an RCMP officer wades into the crowd to chase after Hindu devotees after pushing them back to protect Khalistani who came to harass temple visitors on Diwali. Hitting the Hindus… pic.twitter.com/uugAJun59q

— Daniel Bordman (@DanielBordmanOG) November 4, 2024

The journalist who shared the video claimed that the police went after Hindu devotees to protect “Khalistanis who came to harass temple visitors on Diwali”.

A mob stormed the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton earlier in the day and attacked devotees, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned. “The acts of violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton today are unacceptable. Every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely,” Trudeau posted on X.

The Indian embassy said “anti-India elements” orchestrated the violence outside its consular camp, co-hosted by the temple. Calling it “deeply disappointing”, the embassy said there had been similar attempts to disrupt camps in Surrey and Vancouver over the past two days.

The incidents come amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries triggered by Trudeau’s accusation that India was behind the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India, which has dismissed the allegations as baseless, has also accused Canada of providing a safe haven for terrorists and extremists.