Tensions that have been bubbling for weeks between parts of Melbourne's Sikh and Hindu communities culminated in a brawl in the city's CBD at the weekend.
But Sunday's events were just one chapter in a global political campaign that has prompted prominent religious figures to call for unity as they declare the unrest is not representative of either religious group.
Tensions have escalated over a movement that seeks to create a homeland for Sikhs in northern India's Punjab region.
Australia's Sikh population has grown substantially in recent years, with the number of Sikhs in the country growing nearly 60 per cent between 2016 and 2021.
About 210,400 Sikhs are now living in Australia according to the latest census data, primarily as a result of recent migration from southern and central Asia.
The migration of Sikhs to Australia has prompted international activists to choose the country as a staging point in a campaign for an independent Sikh state in India.
Sikh group makes global secession push
US-based group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) formed in 2007 in an effort to campaign for an independent Sikh nation called Khalistan, following decades of unrest in India.
SFJ has pushed for the Punjab region in the country's north-west to secede from the rest of India.
Many in the Sikh community say tensions date back to 1947 when Punjab was split between India and Pakistan.
The Indian government banned SFJ from the country in 2019 for anti-India activities, labelling the organisation unlawful and calling on other countries to do the same.
Council of Khalistan president Bakhshish Singh Sandhu has played a key role in the campaign and said the Sikh separatist movement was fully in line with the United Nations framework.
"We fulfil all of those qualifications to be able to have the right to self-determination, so we can have the independent country of Punjab, as it was previously," Mr Sandhu said.
"The Sikhs have been expelled, we have been forced to leave Punjab and areas of India due to persecution, genocide and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs."
The SFJ has launched a political campaign, holding unofficial surveys in places with high populations of Sikhs to foster support for the Khalistan movement, beginning with an event in United Kingdom on December 31, 2021.
More than 110,000 Sikhs reportedly voted in the Canadian city of Brampton, while the group claims more the 55,000 people voted in the Melbourne poll.
Mr Sandhu said people from across Australia had come to the city to take part in the unofficial vote, adding to a total tally of over 700,000 votes claimed by the organisation.
The group said it planned to present the final numbers of the vote to the United Nations in a bid to pressure the organisation to act.
The informal vote was punctuated by two brawls in Melbourne's CBD, with police dispersing crowds and arresting two men for riotous behaviour.
Indian High Commissioner criticises Khalistan campaign
Indian High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra said he was "anguished" by the events in Melbourne and said the potential for violence was always clear.
"We are … quite disappointed that action could not be taken in time to stop this violence," Mr Vohra said.
"The potential for this was something that we had repeatedly raised with the Australian authorities."
Mr Vohra claimed that views of groups such as SFJ did not reflect the views of the wider community.
"No right-thinking Sikh individual — whether overseas or whether in India — wants anything to have to do with Khalistan," he said.
Australia's High Commissioner to India, Barry O'Farrell said in a tweet he was "saddened by these scenes so soon after Australia and India celebrate diversity and unity on their respective national days".
"Our commitment to peaceful protest does not extend to violence," he said.
Lead-up to vote coloured by targeted vandalism
Melbourne's Hindu community was left reeling in the weeks prior to Sunday's vote, with three temples around the city vandalised with pro-Khalistan graffiti.
In a statement, the Hindu Council of Australia condemned the graffiti, calling it "cowardly ongoing religious vilification".
The council also condemned the violence that took place on Sunday.
It urged Victoria Police and other government agencies to take "stern action" against the culprits and asked authorities to ensure the safety of the Hindu community and places of worship.
"Australia is a peace-loving multicultural country and we should not allow outside forces to bring overseas issues to disturb communal harmony and perpetrator violence on Australian soil," it said.
Mr Sandhu said his organisation had no knowledge or connection to any of the vandalism at Melbourne temples in the weeks preceding the vote.
Jasbir Singh from the Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council and chair of the Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria explicitly denounced the vandalism and said it was not representative of the Sikh community or those who support Khalistan.
"We are the first to condemn it, because any place of worship should be respected," Mr Singh said.
Mr Singh drew a firm distinction between the political discussions on Khalistan and the community interactions between Hindu and Sikh people.
"We have been enjoying peace and harmony for so many years here, we have no issues with the Hindu community," he said.
"That's why everyone from all over the world comes here, because they respect that this country has given them a safe haven to be themselves, to have a voice against any injustice.
"The Sikh faith stands against injustice against anyone, be it the Hindu community, be it the Muslim, Christian, Sikh community."
