Showing Indira Gandhi's Assassination is Not Hate Crime: Canada
12 Jun 2023 12:12:49
Brampton, Jun 12: The Canadian enforcement authorities have denied any “hate crime” involved in the display of tableau celebrating the assassination of India’s former prime minister Indira Gandhi at a parade in Canada’s Brampton city.
“Police have looked at the video and it’s their determination it does not constitute a hate crime,” Brampton mayor Patrick Brown said in a statement on Saturday.
The mayor further said that Canadians are “guaranteed freedom of thought, belief and expression” under Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. “Any decision to change Section 2 would be at the federal level. Police enforce laws. They don’t write them,” the statement added. So far, there has been no official reaction from Canada’s federal government, except the one issued by Canada’s High Commissioner to India Cameron McKay on June 5 condemning the incident. “I am appalled by reports of an event in Canada that celebrated the assassination of late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. There is no place in Canada for hate or for the glorification of violence. I categorically condemn these activities,” he had tweeted. The incident came to light after a video went viral on Twitter, in which a user wrote, "A float depicting the murder of the late Indian PM by her Sikh bodyguards being part of about a 5 KM long parade in the city of Brampton on June 4th. Jody Thomas may reflect on it!" The video purportedly showed Gandhi in a blood-stained white saree while turban-clad men point guns at her. A poster on the tableau read: “Revenge for an attack on Shri Darbar Sahib”. The tableau was referring to the 1984 Operation Bluestar launched by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi, in which she had ordered the security forces to raid the Golden Temple – one of the most significant shrines for Sikhs – in Punjab after separatist leader Jarnail Bhindranwale took refuge in the Gurudwara complex. Two years later, Gandhi was shot dead by two of her Sikh bodyguards. India took umbrage at the ghastly depiction and sought urgent action from the Canadian authorities.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the float is linked to the bigger issue of the “space that Canada has continuously” provided to Khalistani elements. He added that it was not good for the ‘relationships’ of the two nations. “I think there is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence. I think it is not good for relationships, not good for Canada,” Jaishankar added.