Protesters gathered near the Okanagan Sikh Temple in Kelowna on Feb. 20, 2022, after being denied the ability to host a vigil for an Indian activist last week.
Image Credit: INSTAGRAM/aman_preet_singh_heer
February 22, 2022 - 3:30 PM
Kelowna RCMP were called to the Okanagan Sikh Temple on Sunday after protesters gathered outside.
Two officers were assigned to keep the peace, but no fines were issued and no one was physically removed from the property, Kelowna RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Tammy Lobb said in an email to iNFOnews.ca.
The protesters' arrival on Sunday followed initial attempts to hold a vigil at the temple on Thursday.
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The vigil was meant to honour Indian activist Deep Sidhu, who was a vocal supporter of farmer's protests. He was also an actor and lawyer.
Sidhu, 37, died in a car crash in India on Feb. 15, according to a CTV News report.
Earlier in the week, vigil organizers arrived at the Kelowna temple to hold an event, but they were asked to leave as it was not scheduled or approved by its congregation, according to Okanagan Sikh Temple spokesperson Andy Sandhu.
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Sandhu said temple management would normally discuss whether or not to host an event with its congregation, and with its many visitors, not everyone will always agree,
"If someone wants to hold (an event) in the temple, you can't just walk in an do whatever you want," he said. "We have to answer to our congregation."
The people who wanted to host the vigil showed up again on Sunday, Feb. 20, again, without the permission of temple management.
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Sandhu and RCMP called the event on Sunday a protest, and police were there to inform the protesters that they were on private property. In a video posted to social media, protesters can be seen on the sidewalk nearby holding signs that read "private property."
"The temple is a place for worship, not a place for politics," Sandhu said.
Police responded to the temple on Rutland Road just before noon on Sunday, where the protest lasted roughly three hours, according to Cpl. Lobb.
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