Canada’s criticism of Indian tactics brings ‘validation’ to Sikh activists

Canada’s recent accusations that it supports a targeted campaign by India against its critics in the country have further strained bilateral relations, but Sikh activists see the stunning revelations as validation.

Ottawa alleges that India orchestrated the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old naturalized Canadian citizen and supporter of the “Khalistan” movement, which seeks an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the national police allege that India’s actions extend beyond Nijar, involving a broader strategy of intimidation and violence against Khalistan activists in Canada.

India rejected the allegations.

“It was very validating,” said Harinder Sohi, a 42-year-old Khalistan activist. AFP at a rally with several attendees on Friday outside the Indian consulate in Toronto.

“This is something we’ve believed in for years and people weren’t listening to us,” he said.

Dozens of protesters at Friday’s rally waved yellow flags with “Khalistan” written in bold blue letters and repeated a chant calling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “terrorist.”

They also erected a prison cell around an effigy of the Indian leader.

Sohi said it was significant that Canada has now publicly acknowledged the “danger” India poses to people living across Canada.

“It’s shocking that we as Canadian citizens have to live in fear of a foreign government,” he said.

In testifying Wednesday at an inquiry into foreign interference, Trudeau made it clear his government did not want to blow up relations with a major trading partner with which Canada has deep ties.

However, he said, when faced with clear evidence that the Indian government had directed acts of violence inside Canada and violated Canadian “sovereignty,” he and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police decided to go public in the interest of public safety.

The Khalistan campaign dates back to India’s independence in 1947 and within India today any support for the movement faces a swift crackdown.

Jatinder Singh Grewal, director of the advocacy group Sikhs for Justice and a supporter of Khalistan, argued that the Modi government intends to silence support for the movement abroad because it fears that discussion among the Sikh diaspora could fuel a movement inside.

“If you allow the Canadian Sikhs, or the American Sikhs, or the British Sikhs to speak openly about this, you will eventually make the Punjabi Sikhs say, ‘Why can’t I speak openly about this?'”

Grewal praised Trudeau’s public revelations and Canada’s decision to expel Indian diplomats, but said more is needed, advocating the closure of Indian consulates in Toronto and Vancouver, saying they have been used to coordinate anti-Sikh violence.

Politically motivated?

There are approximately 770,000 Sikhs in Canada, about 2% of the population, the largest Sikh community outside of India.

Sikhs are heavily concentrated in suburban areas, mainly around Toronto and Vancouver, and the community’s vote has been decisive in past national elections.

Last year, days after Trudeau first accused Indian agents of killing Nijar, a former government foreign policy adviser charged that domestic politics had influenced Trudeau’s decisions on Sikh affairs.

Writing in The Globe and Mailformer councilor Omer Aziz said Trudeau’s Liberal party was worried about losing votes to the left-leaning New Democrats, led by Jagmeet Singh, who is Sikh.

Trudeau’s poll numbers are plummeting, and with elections coming up in the coming months, questions have resurfaced about Trudeau’s efforts to shore up the Sikh vote.

Carrying a Khalistan flag at Friday’s protest, Inderjeet Singh Gosal rejected any such political motivation.

“I don’t think that’s what it’s about,” he said. “I just think Justin Trudeau is just following his principles. He believes in rights and he believes in keeping his Canadian citizens safe.”