Vinay Kumar
India’s new High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik expressed safety concerns of Indians in Canada in a recent interview with CTV News, and called the situation strange enough that he, an envoy, is under protection in the country. “Is Canada safe for Indians here? Is Canada safe for itself? Because Canada cannot look at the situation as an Indian problem. It’s a Canadian problem,” Patnaik said. “There are Canadians who are creating this problem. Do you look at it? Do you look at what is happening within Canada? Today, one of the restaurants was attacked for the third time in Vancouver. Shots were fired at the restaurant owned by an Indian,” the envoy said, referring to the firing at Indian comedian Kapil Sharma’s cafe. “South Asians and Indians are feeling unsafe here. Do we need to make sure that they feel safe? What is happening here? The High Commissioner of Canada in India does not need protection, but the High Commissioner of India in Canada needs protection,” Patnailk said. Patnaik said he is under protection in Canada, which he finds strange that he, as the High Commissioner, should feel safe in Canada. The appointment of Patnaik signaled a thaw after two years of frosty diplomatic relations between India and Canada. Canada appointed Chrostupher Cooter as the new High Commissioner of Canada to India; and India appointed Patnaik as his counterpart in August. In the interview, Patnaik was asked whether he can assure the members of the Sikh community in Canada that they will not be ‘targeted’, Patnaik said “they never were”. “We never do. Extra-territorial action by India is never done,” he said.Incidents of Indians coming under attack in Canada are on the rise. The number of Indians forcibly removed from Canada is also on the rise. According to the latest data from teh Canadian Border Services Agency, 1,891 Indians were removed from Canada till July 28. Last year, the number was 1,997. The number of Indians being removed from Canada is steadily rising. In 2019, it was 625.
