Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised at Vaisakh (Sikh New Year) celebrations in Toronto in the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who delivered a keynote address at the event held on Sunday.
'Khalistan Zindabad (Long live Khalistan)' slogans were raised before and after the speech of Trudeau, who stood on the stage smiling at the crowd.
The same sloganeering was also witnessed as Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre addressed the gathering n the occassion of 'Khalsa Day'.
During his remarks, Trudeau said that his government would strive to "protect the rights" of around 800,000 Canadians having a Sikh heritage as well as defend the community against "hatred and discrimination".
He said that the Canadian authorities were "adding more security at community centres and places of worship, including Gurdwaras".
Trudeau also said that his government was negotiating with India a direct flight connectivity between Amritsar, Punjab, and Canadian cities.
The event was also attended by New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, a coalition partner of Trudeau, and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.
Singh, who has an Indian heritage, has been urging the Canadian government to officially recognise the riots in India in 1984 as "genocide".
Objectionable Posters at the Event
According to a video doing the rounds of social media, the Toronto event also witnessed pro-Khalistan supporters raising posters of pro-Khalistan seperatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist gunned down in Vancouver last June.
The posters also feature faces of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, labelling them as Nijjar's "killers".
India has repeatedly rejected Canada's charges of orchestrating Nijjar's killing.
India's Concerns over Pro-Khalistan Extremism in Canada
Trudeau's address in Toronto comes against the backdrop of New Delhi's ongoing concerns about the "space" given to anti-India seperatists in Canadian politics under the incumbent Trudeau government.
Jaishankar has accused Trudeau of giving "operating space" to terrorists and extremists, amid an upswing in pro-Khalistan activism directed at Indian diplomats, Hindu temples and in cases, members of the Indian community, in Canada in recent months.
New Delhi has said that it has sought extradition of 20-25 individuals from Canada for years, but Ottawa has been unresponsive to Indian concerns.