Photo of tableau taken out by Khalistani supporters in CanadaImage Credit source: Twitter
Canada has denied any hate crime in the display of a tableau based on the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Khalistani supporters in the city of Brampton. Two days back, India had expressed displeasure over such people being given a place in the country and said that this incident is not good for Canada itself.
This tableau on behalf of Khalistani supporters was taken out on June 4, just before the 39th anniversary of Operation Bluestar. During Operation Bluestar, the army entered the Golden Temple in Amritsar to drive out separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters. In the tableau, two Sikh soldiers were shown firing at a woman.
Also read- Canada Khalistani Parade: It is not good for Canada itself, India said on the tableau based on the assassination of Indira Gandhi
After the video of the tableau surfaced, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Thursday that it is not good for the relations between the two countries. On the other hand, Cameron McKay, Canada’s High Commission in India, had said that there is no place for hatred in Canada. After Jaishankar’s statement, now Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown issued a statement saying that the police have seen the video and believe that there was nothing like spreading hatred in it.
Canada said – law guarantees freedom
Along with this, section 2 of the Canadian Charter has also been cited in the statement. Which guarantees Canadians freedom of thought, belief and expression. The mayor said that the job of the police is to enforce the law, not write it. The Canadian High Commissioner in India is the only official who had condemned the exhibition wrong and strongly condemned the tableau taken out by the Khalistanis.
Also read- Canada Khalistani: Parade of Khalistani supporters in Canada, Indira Gandhi assassination shown in the tableau
In fact, a few months after Operation Blue Star, on 31 October 1984, the then PM Indira Gandhi was shot dead by a Sikh bodyguard. After the massacre, anti-Sikh riots started in different cities across the country including Delhi. Khalistani have been opposing Operation Blue Star since the beginning.
