Another person charged following violent demonstrations in Peel Region

Peel Regional Police officers are standing outside of the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (Jacob Estrin/CTV News Toronto)

Police have charged another person following a series of recent violent demonstrations in Peel Region.

This latest arrest pertains to an altercation that broke out last Sunday evening outside Hindu Sabha Temple on The Gore Road in Brampton.

In a Nov. 9 news release, Peel Regional Police (PRP) said they’re investigating a number of offences that happened at that Nov. 3 demonstration, many of which were caught on video and involved people using flags and sticks to assault others.

One of the suspects was subsequently identified as 35-year-old Brampton resident Inderjeet Gosal. He was arrested on Nov. 8 and charged with assault with a weapon. Gosal has since been released on conditions and is scheduled to appear in a Brampton court in the near future, police said.

Another similar demonstration took place the following day, on Nov. 4, outside the same mandir, as tensions are high between members of the Hindu and Sikh communities, following what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as “credible allegations” that the Indian government was connected to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year. Ottawa has also accused India’s home minister Amit Shah of targeting Sikh activists, which the Indian government has vehemently rejected.

“As tensions between opposing sides increased, the demonstrations became physical and assaultive,” PRP said in a Nov. 9 news release.

The force has since formed a strategic investigative team dedicated to probing the recent “incidents of criminality” at demonstrations in the region.

So far, they’ve arrested and charged five people.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for 24-year-old Armaan Gahlot, of Kitchener, and 22-year-old Arpit (no surname), of no fixed address, for uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, conspiracy to commit assault with a weapon, and conspiracy to commit mischief. Police are urging them to get a lawyer and turn themselves in to authorities.

Further, an off-duty Peel police officer has been suspended for his alleged involvement in the Nov. 3 demonstration, pending an investigation.

“We would like to remind the public that complex investigations such as these take time and that individuals are arrested as they are identified and in no specific order,” police said in a release, adding that investigators “continue to analyze hundreds of videos of the incidents and are working to identify additional suspects involved in criminality and anticipate further arrests.”

Anyone with suspect or general information is asked to contact PRP at either 12 Division (Mississauga) at 905-453-2121, ext. 1233, or 21 Division (Brampton) at 905-453-2121, ext. 2133. Police are also asking anyone with video of any of the demonstrations to submit it online.

Information can also be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

With files from CP24’s Bryann Aguilar and CTV News Toronto’s Phil Tsekouras, and The Canadian Press