New Delhi: The Indian consulate in Australia’s Brisbane was forced to shut down for a brief period after Khalistani supporters blocked the entry by raising slogans against the Hindus, news agency ANI reported.
This comes days after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese assured to curb anti-India elements in the country.
“Slogans were raised against Hindus calling them supremacists with Khalistan Zindabad,” at the Indian consulate located on Swann Road in the Taringa suburb of Brisbane, The Australia Today reported.
“Indian consulate was forced to close due to safety concerns after Sikhs for Justice targeted them with their propaganda,” Sarah L Gates, director of Hindu Human Rights, told The Australia Today.
According to the Queensland police, it was an unauthorised gathering.
“These thugs should not be allowed to dictate how we live our life in Australia,” Parvinder Singh, a resident of Queensland, who took leave from work to attend an appointment at the Indian consulate, told The Australia Today.
Notably, this comes after Albanese, while addressing a press conference in New Delhi on March 11, assured that Australia won’t tolerate any extreme actions and attacks that have been taking place in religious buildings, and that there is no place for such action against Hindu temples.
Earlier last month, Khalistani flags were found attached to the Indian consulate in Brisbane, after external affairs minister S Jaishankar’s visit to the country.
EAM Jaishankar and his deputy V Muraleedharan, during their visit to Sydney and Melbourne on February 18, raised India’s concerns over the issue.
Jaishankar, during his meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong, discussed the issue.
“Noted the forward movement on our bilateral agenda. Emphasised the need for vigilance against radical activities targeting the Indian community,” Jaishankar tweeted.
