Khalistani Mob Protests Outside Consulate In Melbourne, Indian Community Gather To Hoist Tricolour
Melbourne : Attempts by a Khalistani group to disrupt Independence Day celebrations at the Indian consulate in Melbourne came a cropper as the community members sang patriotic songs to drown out the noise. The protest failed to dampen the celebrations as the Indian community members sang patriotic songs, effectively drowning out the sloganeering by the Khalistanis.
A video of the incident has gone viral. The tricolour was later hoisted amid loud cheers of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram”. The development comes amid growing Khalistani activities in multiple cities in Australia and a worrying rise in targeted hate incidents. The Swaminarayan Temple in Melbourne and two Asian restaurants were found defaced with hate graffiti. The incident happened days after a 23-year-old Indian man was assaulted in Adelaide over a parking dispute.
A group of pro-Khalistani supporters clashed with Indian cricket fans during the fourth test between India and Australia. The incident happened when the Khalistani supporters barged into the stadium without tickets and raised anti-India slogans. Previously, external Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had requested countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia not to give space to Khalistani extremists.
