NEW DELHI, 02 December, 2020, (TON): In a strong rebuttal to the way protesters from the farming community in New Delhi are being treated by police, Canada PM Justin Trudeau has expressed his concern. 

Trudeau made the remarks while participating in a Facebook video interaction organized by Canadian MP Bardish Chagger to mark the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion.  

During his address, he said: “I would be remiss if I didn’t start also by recognizing the news coming out of India about the protest by farmers. The situation is concerning and we’re all very worried about family and friends.” 

“I know that’s a reality for many of you. Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest. We believe in the importance of dialogue and that’s why we’ve reached out through multiple means directly to the Indian authorities to highlight our concerns” he added. 

Hours later, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said in a brief statement: “We have seen some ill-informed comments by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country.” 

All the participants have expressed their outrage on social media over the police repression of farmers. 

This is the first time that Trudeau has made a strong public statement against state violence that has grown under the current Modi nationalist government in India. However, attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents have increased in India ever since Narendra Modi became PM in 2014.  

Police in New Delhi have been harassing Punjab farmers who are camping in the city along with farmers from other Indian states to register their peaceful protest against recent controversial bills introduced by the government. 

These measures are aimed at rolling back subsidies given to the farmers. The bills were pushed through without due consultations, causing anxiety in the farming community.   

There were not only attempts to prevent Punjab farmers from entering the capital, but they were brutally assaulted by Delhi police.