PM Modi: Attack on Hindu temple deliberate, expect Canada to uphold rule of law

Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi on Monday strongly condemned the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada and expressed his dismay over the cowardly attempts to intimidate Indias diplomats stating that New Delhi expects Ottawa to ensure justice and uphold the rule of lawIn a post on X PM Modi stated 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 Indias resolve We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of lawI 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 Indiarsquos resolve We expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of lawmdash Narendra Modi narendramodi November 4 2024The statement from PM Modi followed hours after the Ministry of External Affairs MEA condemned the acts of violence perpetrated by extremists and separatists at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton Ontario which occurred the previous day reported news agency ANIWe call on the Government of Canada to ensure that all places of worship are protected from such attacks We also expect that those indulging in violence will be prosecuted We remain deeply concerned about the safety and security of Indian nationals in Canada MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in response to media queries regarding the violence in BramptonWont be deterred by intimidation PM ModiThe outreach of our Consular officers to provide services to Indians and Canadian citizens alike will not be deterred by intimidation harassment and violence PM ModiIndia has consistently expressed its deep concern about extremism violence and antiIndia activities in Canada seeking action against such conductThis marks the first statement from PM Modi since the Canadarelated controversy began stated ANIAn Indian consular camp at the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton experienced a violent disruption on Sunday local time The incident drew widespread criticism both in Canada and abroad Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre condemned the attack on the Hindu Sabha temple calling it completely unacceptableRelations between India and Canada have significantly deteriorated following Canadian leaders allegations regarding an assassination on their soil without providing evidenceThe decline in diplomatic ties has prompted India to withdraw its High Commissioner from Canada Last month India summoned Canadarsquos then Charge dAffaires Stewart Wheeler and conveyed that the baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was entirely unacceptableIndia underscored that in an environment of extremism and violence the actions of the Trudeau Government endangered the safety of its diplomats We have no faith in the current Canadian Governments commitment to ensure their security Therefore the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials the MEA stated in a releaseBilateral relations soured after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in Parliament last year that he had credible allegations of Indias involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh NijjarIndia has denied all allegations labelling them absurd and motivated while accusing Canada of providing a haven for extremist and antiIndia elementsNijjar designated a terrorist by Indias National Investigation Agency was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year Trudeau also stated last month that his government had not provided India with hard evidence only intelligence regarding the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soilDuring testimony at Canadas foreign interference inquiry Trudeau said that India had been pressing for evidence regarding the allegations levelled by Canada Behind the scenes we were trying to get India to cooperate with us Their ask wasgive us the evidence you have on us Our response was it is within your security agency You should be looking into how much they know you should be engaging No no but show us the evidence At that point it was primarily intelligence not hard evidentiary proof So we said lets work together he saidWith ANI inputs