Toronto’s India Day Parade: Khalistanis rip Indian flag, yell ‘go back to India’
A viral video appears to show Khalistanis raising slogans at the India Day Parade at Toronto City Hall. They were also seen tearing apart the Indian flag with knives.
The video, shared by the X account Mocha Bezirgan, shows Khalistanis yelling ‘go back to India.’ Take a look:
Celebrations were marked with heightened security measures
The largest celebration of Independence in Canada, the India Day Parade, took place in Toronto. The event was marked with heightened security measures at the venue because of a planned counter-rally by pro-Khalistan groups.
The India Day Parade was held on the first Sunday after August 15. The event is organised by Panorama India, which is an umbrella group for Indo-Canadian cultural organisations. Panorama India’s chair Vaidehi Bhagat had said that this year’s celebration will feature the “largest Indian flag outside India” and will include as many as 20 floats representing different Indian states, according to Oneindia.
Pro-Khalistan groups had planned to gather nearby to promote their cause with calls for a ‘face-off’ between ‘Khalistan Sikhs’ and ‘Canadian Hindus.’ This caused heightened tensions around the celebration.
The festivities were centred at Nathan Phillips Square in downtown Toronto. Cultural performances and a variety of Indian cuisine enhanced the event. The celebration this year held a special significance as it marked the silver anniversary of the Parade for Panorama India.
Recent developments involving pro-Khalistan groups further complicated the situation. The groups were emboldened by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s September 18 statement, where he mentioned “credible allegations” linking Indian agents to pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder.
Trudeau previously said that authorities had obtained “credible” intelligence “agents of the government of India” were behind the murder. India’s Ministry of External Affairs has strongly denied the claims. India said in a statement that it rejects “any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments,” calling itself “a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law.”