Toronto: Video shows Khalistanis yelling ‘Go back to India’, tearing Indian flag
The India Day Parade was held on August 18 to celebrate India’s Independence Day by Panorama India, an umbrella group for Indo-Canadian cultural organisations
A viral video, apparently shot at an India Day Parade at Toronto City Hall in Canada on Sunday (August 18), appears to show alleged Khalistanis holding a counter-rally, shouting slogans, and one of them tearing apart an Indian flag with a knife.
The parade was held on the first Sunday after August 15, India’s Independence Day, by Panorama India, an umbrella group for Indo-Canadian cultural organisations. The authorities in Toronto ensured there were heightened security measures because of a planned counter-rally by pro-Khalistan groups.
‘Go back to India’
A video shared by the X account Mocha Bezirgan and shared in a report by Hindustan Times shows the Khalistanis yelling slogans like, “Go back to India”, and one of them ripping apart an Indian flag with a knife.
This was after a confrontation between the two groups in Surrey, British Columbia on August 15.
The celebrations by Panorama India witnessed cultural performances and a variety of Indian cuisines on offer. This was the 25th year that Panorama India was holding the India Day Parade and therefore it carried extra significance.
Increase in tension after Nijjar’s murder
The face-off between pro-India and pro-Khalistani groups in Canada has seen an increase in tension after the Canadian government’s statement last year about “credible allegations” linking Indian agents to the murder of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has strongly denied these claims, and India’s ministry of external affairs released a statement that it rejects “any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments, and that India is a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law”.
