A group of pro-Khalistan supporters gathered outside the Indian consulate in Canada's Toronto, raised slogan and held posters of SFJ leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, to protest against his murder in UK’s Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 this year.
However, the protest was countered by the members of the Indian community who waved the national flag and raised slogans like "Bharat Mata ki jai", "Vande Mataram" and "Long Live India" slogans.
As per reports, the posters accused India of being behind the assassination.
Other posters promoted the Punjab Referendum’s next phase, in the Greater Toronto Area or GTA on July 16. Some of protestors wore jackets, bearing the legend Republic of Khalistan and bearing an image of an AK47.
Earlier this month, the 'Khalistan freedom rally' poster had sparked outrage across India by calling India's High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma and Consul General in Toronto Apoorva Srivastava as "killers" of the Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
It came a month after Khalistanis, marking the 39th anniversary of Operation Blue Star, put up a tableau of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with blood on her clothes and a poster that read, "Revenge of attack on Shri Darbar Sahib".
India summoned the Canadian envoy in New Delhi on Monday and issued a demarche over the increasing activities by pro-Khalistani elements in Canada.