Trudeau is scheduled to visit India later this year or early next year.

India on Wednesday confirmed that it has written to the Canadian government expressing strong displeasure in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attending Khalsa Day event in Toronto on April 30.

Khalsa Day event had felicitated two legislators who wrote a motion in the Ontario Assembly calling the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as ‘genocide’.

“We have taken up such issues in the past with the government of Canada, and in this particular instance, without getting into details, I can tell you the practice has not been discontinued,” said Gopal Baglay, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs.

Justin Trudeau had attended the ‘Khalsa Day’ parade and addressed the audience at the event. The parade and procession that followed had placards glorifying Jarnail Singh Bhindranwala, Amreek Singh and former General Shahbeg Singh – all three killed in the June 1984’s Operation Bluestar and considered terrorists by India.

Khalsa Day event was organized by Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council, to mark the Sikh New Year. Harinder Kaur Malhi, the Liberal Party legislator who moved a resolution on “genocide” against India for the anti-Sikh riots was felicitated during the event. Ontario Assembly had passed the resolution with a majority of 34-5 on April 6.

Soon after the resolution was passed, India had raised strong protest, calling it a “misguided motion based on a limited understanding of India, its constitution, society, ethos, rule of law and its judicial process.”

Indian government also expressed its unhappiness directly to the Canadian High Commission in Delhi and the Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan who visited India in April.

Trudeau is expected to discuss issue of Sikh groups in Canada with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he is scheduled to visit India later this year or early next year.