A Canadian police officer who took part in a pro-Khalistan protest outside a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area, or GTA, has been suspended as punishment but will return to full rank and pay after completing that period. This humble decision has caused consternation in the Hindu community as that particular protest turned violent.
Pro-Khalistan extremists attack the Hindu Sabha temple in Brampton on Sunday afternoon. (Video Screengrab)Peel Regional Police or PRP Sergeant Harinder Sohi was among those who attended a November 2024 protest called by the separatist group Sikhs for Justice, or SFJ, outside the Hinusva temple in Brampton. Some of the protestors violently attacked the temple and among those charged was the SFJ’s coordinator for the so-called Khalistan Singh.
After Sohi’s appearance was revealed on social media, the PRP fired him and removed him from public-facing duties. More than a year later, the Ontario Police Arbitration and Adjudication Commission, or OPAC, ruled that Sohi be promoted to the rank of Constable Class 1 for six months after which he would revert to his previous rank “upon satisfactory performance as determined” by superiors, the ruling noted.
The sentencing decision by the OPAAC judge was handed down on November 27, 2025, but was shared with concerned members of the Hindu community only last week. A copy of the decision has been shared with Hindustan Times.
In a response, the community group, the Canadian Organization for Hindu Heritage Education, or CoHHE, said, “A slap on the wrist for Sohi is a slap in the face for the community.”
It said Sohir’s “refusal to admit that his conduct was wrong and his failure to express any remorse for the harm, warrants strong discipline, such as dismissal” or “the penalty must inform police officers that such misconduct carries serious and lasting consequences.”
“The response of the Peel police to the Hindu community has been dismissive and unspeakable. We will leave no stone unturned to continue to strive for equal protection for Hindus in Peel and take our complaints to the next level to hold the Peel police accountable,” the statement added.
In the ruling, the judge acknowledged that “identified misconduct undermines public confidence in the legitimacy, professionalism and integrity of policing.”
Sohi was convicted of misconduct under the rule that states “a police officer shall not conduct himself in a manner that undermines or is likely to undermine public confidence in the police.”
But despite this, his service never ended even though it was also revealed that Sohi attended and was active in another pro-Khalistan protest, on October 18, 2024 in Toronto, two weeks before the November 3 violence made national and global headlines.
