MELBOURNE: Two people were injured and as many Sikh men were detained when two separate brawls broke out between supporters of Khalistan and pro-India demonstrators in the city of Melbourne during the so-called ‘Punjab independence referendum’, the police said on Monday.
India has already asked the Australian government to curb anti-India activities of the Khalistan supporters and also attacks on the Hindu temples in the country.
“Signals that pro-Khalistan elements are stepping up activities in Australia, aided and abetted by members of proscribed terrorist organisations such as the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and other inimical agencies from outside Australia, have been evident for some time,” the Indian high commission in Canberra had said earlier. SFJis a banned organisation in India.
Police in Victoria said it responded to two incidents, one at 12. 45pm and another at 4. 30pm (local time). Police had to “disperse the crowd” by using pepper spray in the second incident. “A 34-yearold man and a 39-year-old man were arrested, and each issued with a penalty notice for riotous behaviour,” it said. Asper Age newspaper, the fracas started at 4. 30pm after a group of pro-India supporters waving Indian flags arrived at the voting site. Tensions have risen within Australia’s Indian diaspora since the campaign among local secessionists intensified recently, and a spate of graffiti attacks on temples in Melbourne over the past fortnight have been reported.
India has already asked the Australian government to curb anti-India activities of the Khalistan supporters and also attacks on the Hindu temples in the country.
“Signals that pro-Khalistan elements are stepping up activities in Australia, aided and abetted by members of proscribed terrorist organisations such as the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and other inimical agencies from outside Australia, have been evident for some time,” the Indian high commission in Canberra had said earlier. SFJis a banned organisation in India.
Police in Victoria said it responded to two incidents, one at 12. 45pm and another at 4. 30pm (local time). Police had to “disperse the crowd” by using pepper spray in the second incident. “A 34-yearold man and a 39-year-old man were arrested, and each issued with a penalty notice for riotous behaviour,” it said. Asper Age newspaper, the fracas started at 4. 30pm after a group of pro-India supporters waving Indian flags arrived at the voting site. Tensions have risen within Australia’s Indian diaspora since the campaign among local secessionists intensified recently, and a spate of graffiti attacks on temples in Melbourne over the past fortnight have been reported.