India has strongly condemned an incident in Toronto where eggs were reportedly hurled at devotees participating in a Rath Yatra procession. Describing the act as “regrettable” and “against the spirit of the festival,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it has taken up the matter with Canadian authorities and urged action against those responsible.

“We have seen reports regarding disruption created by mischievous elements during the Rath Yatra procession in Toronto,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Such despicable acts are regrettable and against the spirit of the festival, which seeks to promote unity, inclusivity, and social harmony.”

The incident occurred on July 11 during the 53rd annual Rath Yatra organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Where the devotees had gathered on the streets of Toronto to sing bhajans as a part of the procession, when eggs were allegedly hurled at them from a nearby residential building.

A video posted by Instagram user Sangna Bajaj captured the aftermath, showing broken eggs on the road as the procession moved ahead. Bajaj further reported in her video that people from a nearby building threw the eggs on them.

She added that if the intention was to stop the procession, it failed. Bajaj attributed the incident to rising racism in Canada and said that it left her feeling hurt, but she was unable to stop the procession.

“Someone from a nearby building threw eggs at us.. Why? Because faith makes noise? Because joy looked unfamiliar? We were stunned. Hurt. But we didn’t stop. Because hate can never overpower faith,” Bajaj added in her Instagram post.

Former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik also shared pictures of the incident on X (formerly Twitter) and voiced out that he was seriously disturbed by the incident. Furthermore, he urged the Ministry of External Affairs to lodge a strong protest with the Canadian authorities against the matter.

“Deeply disturbed to know about the reports of eggs being hurled at devotees during #RathaJatra celebrations in Toronto, Canada. Such incidents not only grievously hurt the sentiments of Lord Jagannatha’s devotees worldwide, but also cause deep anguish to the people of #Odisha, for whom this festival holds profound emotional and cultural significance,” he wrote on X.