Two Hindu temples in Canada’s Brampton and Surrey were targeted by members of the banned Khalistani group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on Sunday (April 5), days after the country’s House of Commons passed Bill C-9, which is aimed at prohibiting demonstrations in front of places of worship and promoting hate.

The Canadian House of Commons on March 25 passed Bill C-9, a stringent law against hate crimes. The Bill would now go to Canada’s Senate and, after being passed, would require royal assent to become a law.

The C-9 would criminalise acts of intimidating or obstructing access to places of worship and wilfully promoting hatred through certain hate or terrorist-linked symbols. The Bill, when passed, would thus prohibit Khalistani members from planning targetted demonstrations in front of Hindu places of worship.

Hindu groups have welcomed the legislation as protection against such protests, while the Khalistani protests on Sunday have been widely seen as a response to it.

The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a designated a terrorist organisation by India, planned and organised “Khalistan Zindabad” rallies outside Triveni Mandir in Brampton, Ontario, and Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, British Columbia on Sunday.

The SFJ framed the protests as resistance to the Hindu Canadian Foundation (HCF) using Bill C-9 against them.

In an Instagram reel titled “How HCF Twists Bill C-9 Into a Disinformation Tool to Terrorise Canadian Sikhs,” SFJ called for rallies in front of mandirs to “expose the growing influence of PM Modi’s violent ideology of Hindutva terrorism.”

Independent Canadian journalist, Mocha Bezirgan, shared a video on X from Surrey showing a Sikh police sergeant confronting a protester near the temple car park. When asked, “Are you leaving?”, the protester immediately complied.

Bezirgan highlighted that the law enforcement took proactive steps to keep demonstrators away from the temple.

In Brampton, on Chinguacousy Road near Queen Street West, dozens of protesters gathered under a sea of yellow flags with “Khalistan” written on them.

Across the street, Hindu worshippers peered out from the Triveni Mandir as others came and went for prayers.

The Toronto Star reported that in response to protestors loudly chanting “Khalistan Zindabad”, temple authorities responded by playing music over loudspeakers, partially muffling the Khalistani chanting.

According to the Toronto Star report, the protest came after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to New Delhi, which came after months of diplomatic freeze in India-Canada ties.

The diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa were strained when former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau stood up in the House of Commons and said there were “credible allegations” that Indian state agents were involved in the 2023 shooting death of Khalistani terrorist and separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He advocated for the creation of a separate Khalistan.

However, later, Canadian officials changed their tone, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme stated in March that recent investigations did not show any connection between criminal activity and the Indian government.

Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who replaced Nijjar as the Khalistan referendum coordinator for Sikhs for Justice in Canada, told the Toronto Star they were still seeking justice for his predecessor’s death. “I’m a Canadian citizen, and I expect Canada to hold my sovereignty first, my protection first,” Gosal said. “Protect the Canadian citizen. And if we’re not going to do that, then our government is useless.”

Gosal has faced prior charges, including assault with a weapon in 2024 temple clashes and 2025 weapons offences.

During the Khalistani protests on Sunday, protesters were contained by metal barricades as they chanted slogans for more than two hours.

Past SFJ-linked protests at Hindu temples in Canada have involved violence, including fist fights and pro-Khalistani people striking Hindus with poles.

The Hindu Canadian Foundation (HCF) and over 30 organisations called on the Peeol Police and the Surrey Police to ensure safe access to places of worship.

“Temples exist for peace, prayer, reflection, and well-being, not as venues for political intimidation or fear,” their statement read. “No one should feel unsafe while exercising their right to worship.”

The HCF also called for the passage of Bill C-9, writing on X, “We hope it will help prevent such destabilising activities from recurring.”

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) also criticised the planned rallies through a statement released on Facebook, and cited past incidents it said involved assaults on devotees and disruptions at places of worship. The organisation described the SJF protests as “nothing but religious bigotry and targeted harassment that masquerades as freedom of speech and political expression”.

Brampton’s 100-metre safety zone bylaw (which requires protestors to maintain a distance of 100 metres) was applied at Triveni Mandir.

To contain the Khalistani targeting at the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, the police obtained a court order restricting gatherings within 100 metres. Peel Regional Police stated on X that it supported the right to lawful and peaceful assembly but warned that unlawful acts would not be tolerated.

– Ends

Published By:

Shounak Sanyal

Published On:

Apr 6, 2026 15:03 IST

Tune In