MEA’s advisory to Indian nationals in Canada: All you need to know

India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Friday issued an advisory for all Indian nationals and students in Canada.

In a press release on its website, the MEA cites a sharp increase in the incidents of “hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities in Canada.” It goes on to say that India’s High Commission/Consulates General in Canada have been speaking to the authorities in Canada to get them to investigate the crimes and take action. 

To that end, the MEA has asked Indian nationals and students travelling to Canada or who are currently there to “exercise due caution and remain vigilant.” 

The MEA also advises students and Indian nationals to register themselves with the High Commission of India in Ottawa or Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver. Alternatively the external ministry suggests that people can log on to the MADAD portal. 

The move from the ministry comes in after the recent vandalization of a BPAS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Toronto on Tuesday, September 20, 2022. Earlier this year in July a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Richmond Hill in the Greater Toronto Area was defaced. In both instances, the pro-Khalistan messages were painted on the temple and the statue respectively. 

The MEA’s advisory is also more than likely related to a referendum for a separate Punjab state held by a group called the Sikhs for Justice in the town of Brampton on Sunday, September 18. While New Delhi raised objections to the referendum, Global Affair’s Canada said that its government would not recognise the results of such a referendum, according to a report from the Hindustan Times.  

The referendum led by the SFJ was also held in different phases across Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Italy. 

This isn’t the first time that Canada has seen such attacks on Indians. Last year, a series of attacks on Hindu temples in Brampton and Hamilton led to protests from the local Hindu community.