Oversees Cong calls for 'peace' in Indo-Canadian community amid clashes

The overseas unit of the Congress party has denounced the recent clashes between Khalistani protesters and devotees at a Hindu temple in the Canadian city of Brampton, calling for "peace" and "harmony" in the Indo-Canadian community.

The Indian Overseas Congress, in a press release on Sunday, said that the Indo-Canadian community has gone through a "difficult period" with various attempts made to divide it.

The organisation organised a peace meet in Ontario province's Mississauga city on Sunday.

We the Indo-Canadians believe strongly in the ideology of peaceful co-existence and denounce the events of last week," the press release said, adding that an attempt was made by "divisive forces" and "miscreants" to create a wedge in the community.

It urged people to "strive to maintain peace and harmony in the community for times to come.

On November 3, protestors carrying Khalistani flags clashed with devotees at a Hindu Sabha temple and disrupted an event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate at Brampton, a city in Ontario's Greater Toronto Area.

Unverified videos of the protest showed fistfights and people striking each other with poles on what appears to be the grounds surrounding the temple.

The incident was condemned by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who said every Canadian has the right to practise their faith freely and safely.

India condemned the attack with an expectation that those indulging in violence "will be prosecuted".