India’s missions in Canada completed their annual process of holding life certificates camps at various centres in the country, including gurdwaras and temples, on Sunday. Though several of the consular camps did witness protests called by pro-Khalistan separatists, there was no disruption in the running of the camps unlike last November when protesting radicals had violently invaded a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA.
The intent of the camps, which are organised every year by India’s missions, is to provide the service to pensioners at a location close to their homes.
The last weekend saw the camps being hosted at the historic Khalsa Diwan Society’s Ross Street gurdwara in Vancouver, the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, and the Guru Gobind Singh Temple Association in the town of Prince George, all in British Columbia, as well as a sportsplex in Brampton.
The protests were organized by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, and it claimed that they had “trapped” Indian officials at the Vancouver gurdwara where they were being protected by Canadian police. However, a spokesperson for the gurdwara refuted that version and stressed no officials were trapped and the camp proceeded smoothy, with nearly 100 certificates issued to seniors. There was “no problem” at the gurdwara and “lots of people” appreciated the gurdwara hosting the camp, the spokesperson added. As it did last year, the gurdwara had obtained a court order prohibiting protests within 100 metres of the place of worship.
The camps this also saw significant police presence at venues in the GTA and the Lower Mainland region of BC due to the violence at the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton last year. On November 3, 2024, the temple was invaded by pro-Khalistan protestors and that incident led to several arrests including that of Inderjeet Gosal, principal organizer in Canada of SFJ’s so-called Khalistan Referendum. Gosal was charged with assault.
The Hindu Sabha Mandir was not among the hosts of the consular camps this year. The camps, which began on November 1, were held at 25 temples, gurdwaras, civic centres and other venues this year and covered Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, London, Windsor, Kitchener and Oakville in the province of Ontario, Vancouver, Surrey, Abbotsford and Prince George in British Columbia, Winnipeg in Manitoba, Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta, Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan, Montreal in Quebec and Halifax in Nova Scotia.
