The sign was “Revenge for the attack on Sri Darbar Sahib” in reference to the military assault on the Golden Temple on June 6, 1984, with the scene taking place on June 4.
After the incident was exposed on social networks, which was described as outrageous by the Indian government, the Asian nation’s High Commission in Ottawa sent a formal note to Global Affairs of Canada to express its displeasure.
In one of the first reactions, an Indian official said, “You cannot cross the freedom of expression by glorifying the assassination of a leader of a democratic country like this.”
The Indian foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, condemned the incident in front of the press the day before and questioned the apparent permissiveness of the northern country’s authorities in the face of incidents that he considered worrying.
This is not good for Canada and its relations with India, said the Asian country’s foreign minister, who also sought strong action against such displays that harm the country’s history.
Jaishankar said, I think there is a broader underlying problem about the space given to people who advocate violence (…).
For her part, the Chief of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi said that a crime cannot be celebrated in any democratic government and murder is a crime and therefore, specified that the Canadian authorities should act.
Whatever is happening in Canada comes under the ambit of law and order, and the government should act accordingly, Lekhi demanded, citing reports of a rise in such incidents in that country.
Meanwhile, senior Indian National Congress leader Jairam Ramesh termed the depiction of Indira Gandhi’s assassination as disgusting and demanded a strong response from the central authorities.
Milind Deora, also from the Congress, said, “It is not about taking sides, it is about respecting the history of a nation and the pain caused by the assassination of its prime minister.”
This fact deserves universal condemnation and a united response, he added.
Indira Gandhi served as India’s first and only woman minister from January 1966 to March 1977 and again from January 1980 to October 1984 when she was shot dead by two of her own bodyguards.
