VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at a Sikh temple in Vancouver to several dozen protesters gathered about a block away.
Their shouts could be heard at the Ross Street Temple before Modi showed up smiling and waving.
Police cordoned off the building where Modi and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were to spend about 30 minutes before travelling to a Hindu temple in Surrey.
Several hundred people were inside to see Modi, who is the first Indian prime minister to visit the oldest Sikh temple in North America.
Modi is wrapping up a three-day visit to Canada to sign trade agreements and has received a mostly warm welcome from Canadians of Indian descent though his trip to Vancouver is tinged with some tension.
Modi’s detractors say the Hindu prime minister needs to speak out about human rights violations in India against minority groups including Sikhs, Muslims and Christians.