NEW DELHI –

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned a “deliberate attack” on a Hindu temple in Canada, saying on Monday that he expected the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.

In a rare comment at a time of escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries, Modi also said in a social media post that attempts to intimidate Indian diplomats in Canada were “equally appalling.”

Earlier in the day, India’s foreign ministry said the violence on Sunday at a temple in Brampton, Ontario, was perpetrated by “extremists and separatists.”

(Reporting by Shivam Patel in New Delhi)