Why The MEA asked Canda To Take Attacks On Indians Seriously?

Edited By: Vikas Mavi

26 September 2022 (New Delhi): Canada the country that is ranked No. 12 on the 2022 Global Peace Index, is attempting to make sense of India’s recent advisory, which noted “a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence, and anti-India activities in Canada.” The Toronto Star, the city’s leading daily, summed up many people’s confusion: “The language employed by Indian diplomats was that which one might expect to be used more to describe Iraq, Libya, or Afghanistan.”

MEA asked Canadian authorities to take serious action

“There has been a sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs and our High Commission/ Consulates General in Canada have taken up these incidents with the Canadian authorities and requested them to investigate the said crimes and take appropriate action. The perpetrators of these crimes have not been brought to justice so far in Canada,” the MEA said few days ago.

Are crimes against Indians in Canada fuelling hatred?

Kartik Vasudev, an Indian student, was gunned down in front of a subway station in Toronto in April. More recently, on September 12, another Indian student, Satwinder Singh, was killed in a shooting rampage in the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in two more deaths (GTA). However, it has not yet been determined whether these were hate-motivated attacks. According to Toronto Police, there hasn’t been a significant increase in hate crimes targeting people of Indian or South Asian descent.

Atrocities against Indians escalated

In the last few months, two Hindu temples in the GTA have reported vandalism. Last year, a Khalsa religious school in Brampton, a large city bordering Toronto with the highest concentration of Indians in Canada, was also vandalised. With 1.83 lakh Indian students pursuing education at various levels in the country, Canada is the second most popular destination for Indians pursuing academic degrees abroad.