Summary:
Earlier during a trip to Canada as a minister Maluka was stopped by the Canadian police from enter a meeting venue in Abbotsford following protests by some Sikhs.Maluka, after not been allowed to enter the meeting venue, had termed Canadian police as ‘nalayak’ for not protecting a VIP like him.Then Canadian defence minister Jason Kenney had asked the visiting Akali ministers to “go home and deal with Punjabi politics in Punjab”. JALANDHAR: Former Shiromani Akali Dal minister Sikandar Singh Maluka faced strong protests by some Sikh and Punjabi activists at a kabaddi match in a Melbourne suburb, in Australia on Sunday where he was invited as the chief guest.Shoes were hurled at him and he had to be escorted out by the policemen while the match was still on.His comments post Bargari sacrilege incident in 2015 when he reportedly told people to celebrate Diwali when Sikh groups had given a call from Black Diwali and his participation in a function in December 2016 at Rampura Phool in which pattern of Sikh Ardaas was copied in a controversial manner, came to haunt him.According to information, Maluka was already on the stage with the organizers of Kings Kabaddi when the protesters started raising slogans against him making references to his comments.Soon their numbers swelled and shoes were hurled at him, creating commotion in the stadium, said sources, adding that one of the protestors was held by the police but released later.The former minister, who now heads the farmer wing of the party, could not watch the end of the tournament and in a video could be seen leaving the stadium under police protection.It is learnt that a few Sikh activists had tried to dissuade the organizers from inviting Maluka and a few Punjab Police officers whose pictures were advertised by the organizers in the posters.Notably, this is the second time Maluka has faced strong opposition abroad..