Surrey Hindu temple claims ‘excessive force’ used in three arrests at protest

A Hindu temple in Surrey is claiming that the RCMP used excessive force in three arrests at a protest Sunday.

The Surrey RCMP says its officers were on scene at the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir near Bear Creek Park around 2:30 p.m.

Sgt. Tammy Lobb with Surrey RCMP tells 1130 NewsRadio that the Mandir was hosting a ‘consular camp.’

The camps give seniors of Indian descent a chance to meet with consular officials to complete administrative tasks, mostly related to their pensions, without having to attend the consulate in Vancouver.

Lobb says hundreds of Pro-Khalistan demonstrators reportedly arrived to protest the presence of Indian consular staff.

Six Indian diplomats were expelled from Canada last month over allegations that they used their position to collect information on Canadians in the pro-Khalistan independence movement and then pass that on to criminal gangs who targeted the individuals directly.

“Protesters with opposing views arrived and began demonstrating. Several police officers were deployed to the area to keep the peace, violence broke out between groups, and three individuals were arrested,” Lobb explained.

The protests come after the escalation in tensions over the assassination of Surrey Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was a local leader of the pro-Khalistan independence movement. The Canadian government has blamed the assassination on the Indian government.

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“Violence broke out between groups and three persons were arrested. No individuals or police officers were injured. The crowd dispersed within the hour following the arrests,” Mounties said.

In a video posted to social media Sunday night, the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir says it condemns the violence and “attack” on the temple by “extremist elements.”

The video, titled ‘Excessive force used by Surrey Police to arrest a devotee,’ shows three Surrey Police officers tackling a young person, pushing his face into the ground and kneeling on him as they bind his hands.

“3 SPS required to control a kid… WOW, nice work,” the temple commented.

Behind the one arrest, another three officers can be seen tackling and arresting another person. 

The Mandir is calling for government intervention and an inquiry into the arrests.

“We also call for the suspension, investigation, and prosecution of the police officers involved in unjustified violence against temple devotees.”

The RCMP says all suspects have been released from custody and its officer in charge is meeting with local temple leaders “to address their concerns and ease tensions.”

Lobb says the RCMP remains “neutral” on the political issues involved in the protests. In response to the claim that officers used excessive force, she says the public has several mechanisms with which to file complaints “anytime they have concerns about the actions of a police officer.”

In Brampton Ont., a similar incident took place over the weekend, when pro-Khalistan groups showed up at a temple there. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling the violence at Brampton’s Hindu Sabha Mandir “unacceptable.” He says every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely.

—With files from The Canadian Press