TORONTO, ON—August 15th is celebrated by millions of people living in India as the day of Independence but, for minority communities living there, it is a black day in history. Sixty four years have passed since India gained independence from the British, but to many the real independence has yet to come. People in India, especially those who follow different religions from mainstream Hindus, have continued to face prosecution, torture and oppression.
Around the world, members of Indian minority communities observed this day with protests. Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Muslims raised awareness of the Indian Government’s biased treatment of its citizens. Not only has India mistreated its citizens living in its own country, it has failed to safeguard the lives of Indians living in different countries simply because they do not follow a particular religion or belong to a particular caste.
In Toronto, a large protest rally was organized in front of the Eaton Centre where several human rights organizations were also present at the protest. Protestors called upon the Indian Government to stop the burning of churches and killings of Christians in India. Members present at the protest called upon the United Nations to save the lives of tens of thousands of people in India.
Tensions arose in Toronto when supporters of the Indian Government, who were attending Indian Independence Day celebrations across the street, hurled derogatory remarks at the protestors. There were also reports of physical violence due to which the Toronto police had to intervene.
