Ottawa, Nov. 25 -- Indian High Commissioner to Canada Dinesh Patnaik issued a firm reaction to the Sikhs for Justice referendum held in Ottawa seeking the creation of 'Khalistan'. He said that while peaceful demonstrations are acceptable, Canada must consider how such actions are interpreted in India, where they are often seen as interference by Ottawa.

In an interview with CBC, Patnaik referred to Sunday's exercise as a farcical event "which you can hold," noting that India does not object to people raising political demands.

"I mean for us, having peaceful protest or asking for something is part of a political process. We have no problem with it. In fact, in India, there are political parties which ask for the formation of a Khalistan...