WARMINGTON: Peel cop suspended after wild protest at Hindu temple

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Peel Regional Police suspended one of its officers who was identified in videos of a protest that turned violent at a Hindu temple in Brampton Sunday.

And the Peel Regional Police Association has stepped in to offer assistance and protection for Sgt. Harinder Sohi, an 18-year-veteran of the service, who it says received “death threats” after being outed as a demonstration participant on social media.

“We are aware of a video circulating on social media which shows an off-duty Peel police officer involved in a demonstration,” said Peel police spokesperson Richard Chin. “This officer has since been suspended in accordance with the Community Safety and Policing Act.  We are investigating the circumstances in totality depicted in the video and are unable to provide further information until such time that this investigation is complete.”

Sohi does not currently face any allegations of wrongdoing, as police investigate this ugly incident.

Three people, however, were charged and are scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date.

Dilpreet Singh Bouns, 43, of Mississauga, faces counts of causing a disturbance and assaulting a peace officer; a man identified by police only as Vikas, 23, of Brampton, is charged with assault with a weapon; and Amritpal Singh, 31, of Mississauga, is accused of mishchief over $5,000. None of the allegations have been tested in court.

A Peel Regional Police officer was treated in hospital for minor injuries.

As The Toronto Sun’s Kevin Connor reported, a social media video showed a violent protest outside the Hindu Sabha Mandir temple in the Gore Rd.-Cottrelle Blvd. area. Some protesters appeared to be holding banners in support of Khalistan — a proposed Sikh homeland in northern India — while others displayed India’s national flag.

Video on social media shows those present punching and striking each other with sign poles.

“While we respect the individual rights to protest as per the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, our duty and responsibility remain to maintain public order and ensure the safety of everyone,” police said in a statement on social media.

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“As such, we are asking for the co-operation of the public to engage and facilitate in a peaceful and lawful protest.”

What no one expected was the public would call out the appearance of Sohi, who was off-duty, among the protesters.

“He is an excellent police officer,” said PRPA President Adrian Woolley, who said he knows him personally.

And his team has been in touch with Sohi to provide assistance in dealing with “death threats he has received.”

Woolley noted any person can express their views on their own time and that each person is entitled to due process and a fair investigation. Woolley said they won’t comment further while Peel police force’s  Professional Standards Unit conducts its investigation.

The officer has not to this point been accused of committing a crime. If that changes, police union sources say officers who find themselves before the courts due to an off-duty incident generally do not receive funding for their legal defences.

As for suggestions that Sohi was working in plain clothes, Woolley said “he does not work in an undercover capacity.”

This thing has turned into an international incident.

Even Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi has weight in, writing on X, “I strongly condemn the deliberate attack on a Hindu temple in Canada” and “we expect the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called what happened in Brampton “unacceptable.”

Meanwhile, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, who has already been critical that things went this far, is taking it to another level by trying to prevent protests from happening outside of temples, churches, mosques or synagogues.

“I will be bringing a motion to our Brampton City Council which would look at prohibiting protests at places of worship,” the mayor posted to X. “Places of worship should be safe spaces that are free of violence and intimidation. I have asked our city solicitor to look into the legality of such a by-law for our next scheduled meeting of city council.”

Time will tell whether such an effort would survive a constitutional challenge, but Brown makes the point while that protest is fine, it crosses the line when violence breaks out.

“Places of worship should not be subjected to violence and intimidation,” Brown said on X. “The violence at the Hindu Sabha has no place in Canada. Religious freedom in Canada is a foundational value. We must make sure places of worship are safe.”

Videos circulating on social media show this wasn’t a safe protest. Peel police Chief Nishan Duraiappah warned all participants ahead of time that police would charge any lawbreakers. Officers are now asking anybody with video to send it to their investigators.