Indian consulate in Brisbane closed after Khalistani protest

The incident happened days after Australian premier Anthony Albanese assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Australia won’t tolerate attacks on religious places

• Pramod Thomas
• 16 March, 2023

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By: Pramod Thomas

The honorary consulate of India in Brisbane was forced to close down on Wednesday (15) due to safety concerns after Khalistan supporters organised an unauthorised gathering and blocked the entry of the office.

It is the latest in a series of radical activities against the Indian community in Australia.

The incident happened days after Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi that Australia won’t tolerate any extreme actions like attacks on religious places.

The consulate located on Swann Road in the Taringa suburb of Brisbane was forced to close down after Khalistan supporters blockaded the entry.

Queensland Police said that it was an unauthorised gathering, however, they were allowed to enter the consulate property and block anyone from entering it, according to The Australia Today portal.

Parvinder Singh, a resident of regional Queensland, said he took leave from his work to attend an appointment at Indian Consulate, in Brisbane.

However, Singh is left with no choice but to go back and reschedule his appointment to get his young child’s Overseas Citizen of Indian card issues sorted.

“These thugs should not be allowed to dictate how we live our life in Australia,” Singh said.

“They are threatening us when we visit Gurughar (Gurudwara) now these Khalistan supporters are entering into our daily life for worse.” “Queensland government and police need to deal with the full force of the law as prime minister Albanese said a few days back.”

Sarah L Gates, director of Hindu Human Rights based in Brisbane, said: “Indian Consulate was forced to close today due to safety concerns after Sikhs for Justice targeted them with their propaganda.” “Slogans were raised against Hindus calling them supremacists with Khalistan Zindabad,” Gates said.

Recently, supporters raised the Khalistan flag at the Brisbane office.

These incidents happened following the vandalism of three Hindu temples in Australia by Khalistani supporters in January.

(PTI)