India must not take the insults being dished out by the Canadian government to our citizens lying down. While giving visas to persons who have retired from the armed forces/paramilitary forces, the Canadian government is virtually deciding whether they are guilty of human rights violations.
The Canadians are, for instance, asking applicants whether they have served in Operation Blue Star; what kind of operations had been conducted by the units of those who are applying for visas; whether they had interrogated prisoners and if they had, what were the techniques used.
After the statement made by a Canadian official about the Border Security Force, the foreign ministry spokesperson’s attempt to make amends was a weak one.
India needs to take some strong diplomatic action. It cannot be constantly seen as a country that everyone feels free to insult and walk away.
Ashutosh Gupta, Gurgaon
