INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: The Consulate General of India in Vancouver has requested Canadian authorities to investigate the recent incident of assault on
an Indian national in Kelowna
Prompt action against the perpetrators has also been sought in the case, which saw a 17-year-old Sikh high school student getting assaulted
at a bus stop after an altercation with another teenager in Canada's British Columbia province, according to reports
The incident took place on Monday in Kelowna at the intersection of Rutland Road South and Robson Road East where the high school student
was allegedly "kicked, punched and pepper-sprayed", media reports stated.Condemning the website, in a post shared on X, the Consulate
General of India in Vancouver stated, "@cgivancouver strongly condemns assault on an Indian national in Kelowna and requests Canadian
authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators.""Officers determined a 17-year-old Sikh student was
either beer or pepper sprayed by another teenage male after exiting a public transit bus on his way home," a statement by the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police said.Before the assault, there was "an altercation" aboard a bus, which resulted in those involved being kicked off, police
said.While the police have not released more details, the World Sikh Organisation of Canada has alleged that the student was also assaulted
while aboard the vehicle."Two individuals approached the student and first barred his entry onto the bus and then, once allowing him to
board, began to threaten him with a lighter and photograph and record him from a close distance with their phones," a news report quoted the
organisation."Monday's attack on a Sikh high school student in Kelowna is shocking and unacceptable," Guntaas Kaur, WSO vice president for
British Columbia was quoted as saying.This is the second such instance of violence against a Sikh youth riding public transit in the city
this year.Earlier in March, a 21-year-old Sikh student from India, Gagandeep Singh, was attacked in British Columbia province by a group of
unknown men who ripped off his turban and dragged him across the sidewalk by his hair.(With inputs from agencies)WatchIndia-Canada trade
talks halted due to Canada's stand on pro-Khalistan elements
