NEW DELHI: India has lodged a formal protest with Canada after posters promoting a Sikh rally showed pictures of Indian diplomats posted in Canada in a threatening way.
Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi Cameron MacKay was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday to convey India’s displeasure over the matter, according to Indian media reports on Tuesday.
The reports noted that India is unhappy about the planned demonstrations outside the Indian diplomatic missions in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver this Saturday.
The demonstrations are planned to protest against the June 18 sensational murder of Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was head of a gurdwara in the Canadian city of Surrey.
Reports in the Indian media refer to Nijjar as a “Khalistani terrorist” wanted in India.
The Sikh rally posters expressed anti-India sentiments and featured the pictures and names of two top Indian diplomats in Canada.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly called them unacceptable.
“Canada takes its obligations under the Vienna Conventions regarding the safety of diplomats very seriously. Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials in light of some of the promotional material circulating online regarding a protest planned on July 8th, which are unacceptable,” Joly said in a statement.
“We know that the actions of a few do not speak for an entire community or Canada,” she added. – BERNAMA
