Vancouver police closed Howe Street to all vehicle traffic between West Cordova and West Hastings Street on Monday in anticipation of an upcoming protest.
Protests are planned by members of the Sikh community in communities across Canada, including the Indian Consulate in Vancouver.
This follows the statement last week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that credible evidence exists to substantiate the involvement of agents of the Government of India in the targeted killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
He was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a high Sikh population.
India swiftly denied any role in the killing and described the allegations as “absurd.” The accusations have sparked tensions between the two countries, with each nation expelling diplomats, and New Delhi suspending visas for Canadians.
Canada has also updated its travel advisory for its citizens in India as tensions mount between the two countries.
In a release last week, the president of the World Sikh Organization, Tejinder Singh Sidhu, said: “Peaceful protests are a key democratic right, however, we encourage Sikhs to remain vigilant and alert in the days ahead. We are concerned that attempts may be made during the protests to incite violence and vandalism in order to malign the Sikh community.”
More to come
— with files from Reuters and Saba Aziz
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