India denounces disruption of Rath Yatra in Canada

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has strongly taken up the matter with Canadian authorities to hold the perpetrators of the act accountable

Published on: Jul 14, 2025, 20:41:05 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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New Delhi: India on Monday denounced the disruption of a Rath Yatra in the Canadian city of Toronto over the weekend, and said the matter had been strongly taken up with Canadian authorities to hold the perpetrators accountable.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. (File Photo)

Members of the procession, organised by the Indian community and ISKCON Toronto over the weekend, were pelted with eggs, according to media reports.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the disruption was caused by “mischievous elements”.

“Such despicable acts are regrettable and are against the spirit of the festival, which seeks to promote unity, inclusivity, and social harmony,” he said.

“We have strongly taken up the matter with Canadian authorities to hold the perpetrators of the act accountable.”

The Indian side hopes the Canadian government will take “necessary action to protect the religious rights of people”.

The annual Hindu procession in Toronto, which featured the grand chariot of Lord Jagannath, was disrupted when eggs were hurled from a building. The act triggered condemnation, especially in Odisha, the original home of the festival.

Opposition leader and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik said in a social media post that the Odisha government should urge the external affairs ministry to register a strong protest with the Canadian authorities.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More

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