Canada [Images] has threatened to use force to deport a paralysed Indian Sikh, who allegedly entered the country on a false passport and is now taking sanctuary in a gurdwara.

"There are limits to the sensitivity border agents have so far shown in trying to avoid confrontations with protesters as they try to deport a paralyzed refugee-seeker from India," Canadian Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said.

The minister did not rule out the possibility of the police entering the gurdwara to deport 48-year-old Laibar Singh, who had lost a legal battle to stay in the country.

Flaying the gurdwara management for sheltering Singh, he said: "There are a few and rare circumstances across the country where places of worship are used as sanctuary. There is no law that actually provides for that."

"Singh might be in a mall or a gurdwara; he is not entitled to stay in Canada any more and will be deported," the minister said.

He warned the Indo-Canadian supporters against resisting deportation of failed refugee claimant Singh and said that there are limits to the government's patience.

Singh's supporters have twice stopped police attempts to deport Singh, who allegedly entered Canada on a false passport five years ago. He has currently taken shelter in a Surrey gurdwara after exhausting all legal avenues.

The first attempt to deport him failed on December 10 when over 2,000 of his supporters blocked police access to him. They foiled another attempt last Wednesday when they blocked police entry to the gurdwara, whose management had promised to cooperate in Singh's deportation.

Meanwhile, Gulzar [Images] Cheema, a doctor who examines Singh regularly, has come under fire for breaking patient confidentiality after he had said the Sikh man could travel to India under medical support. Singh's supporters said it was unethical on the part of Cheema to speak publicly about his health.

Singh was paralysed in 2006 and his supporters say he should not be deported, as he will not get proper medical care in India.