A small but vocal group of protesters gathered across the street from the Khalsa Diwan Association gurdwara in South Vancouver on Saturday to protest the presence of Indian consulate officials at the temple.

This event was the first of two “consular camps” planned by the Indian consulate at the gurdwara. The purpose of the events is to offer seniors of Indian origin the opportunity to meet with officials and complete administrative tasks without having to go to the consulate downtown.

But in the face of allegations by Canadian officials that the Indian government is waging a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists in Canada, protesters

Ajaypal Singh, one of about two dozen protesters, told CTV News that those gathered believed Indian authorities should not be allowed into Sikh temples.

“We want embassies to be closed and the Indian consulate not to interfere with Sikh gurdwaras,” Singh said.

He cited the Canadian government’s allegation that Indian diplomats collected information on Indian nationals and Canadian nationals in Canada and then passed this information to the Indian government in New Delhi, where they allegedly worked with a criminal network linked to murders, assassination plots, oppression and other crimes. Violent crimes in Canada.

These allegations led Canada to expel six Indian diplomats, including high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, last month.

“Mr. Sanjay Verma, who was deported, says ‘We are getting life-threatening threats from Sikhs’ in India,” Singh said. “On the other hand, they come to our gurdwaras to conduct embassy business. So this is the height of hypocrisy.”

Tensions between Canada and India have been rising for more than a year since the June 2023 shooting of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara.

Nijjar was a Canadian citizen and a leading activist in the creation of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, which would be located in what is now the Indian state of Punjab. The Canadian government alleges that the Indian government was involved in Nijjar’s death.

India has denied all allegations against it.

Ahead of Saturday’s event, the BC Supreme Court granted the Khalsa Diwan Society’s request to create a 50-metre “buffer zone” around the gurdwara due to concerns about “massive protests.”

“The community expects that the consular camps will be subject to intense protests from individuals who believe that all Indian consular offices in Canada should be closed and consular officials should not be allowed to enter the Ross Street Gurdwara for the purpose of furthering official business.” Government of India,” court documents state.

The court order prohibits protesting, blocking sidewalks or intimidating anyone trying to enter the property within 50 meters of the roads surrounding the temple from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A second consular camp is planned for November 16.

With files from The Canadian Press