KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
24-Oct-2025
In a recent interview with The Globe and Mail, High Commissioner of India to Canada Dinesh K. Patnaik voiced concern over Canada’s handling of evidence in transnational crime cases and its inaction against the “illegal activities” of Khalistani separatists. He noted that while evidence submitted by Ottawa is deemed “enough,” similar evidence from New Delhi is often dismissed as “not enough.” “Your evidence is enough but our evidence is not enough?” Patnaik remarked, reflecting India’s frustration with Canada’s lack of seriousness toward its security concerns. He complained that Canada has done little to stop illegal activities by some Canadian Sikhs promoting a separate Khalistan state in Punjab. India has shared dossiers and the names of at least 25 individuals of concern with Canadian authorities, but there has been little visible action in response.
22-Oct-2025
Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre extended Diwali greetings, combining them with wishes for Bandi Chhor Divas, which drew criticism for his choice of wording. Social media users accused him of pandering to Khalistanis, with some commenting that it was unsurprising his party lost the last election.
21-Oct-2025
Punjabi singer Teji Kahlon was seriously injured in a targeted shooting attack outside a private event in Canada on October 21. Soon after the attack, a social media post by three individuals, Mahender Saran Dilana, Rahul Rinau, and Vicky Phalwan, claiming affiliation with the Rohit Godara gang took responsibility for the incident. In the post, the group issued a chilling threat, warning of a fatal strike. Local police and Canadian federal authorities are investigating the case but have not yet confirmed the identities of the shooters or the motive behind the attack.
21-Oct-2025
Three men linked to gangster Rohit Godara, Mahender Saran Dilana, Rahul Rinau and Vicky Phalwan, claimed in a social-media post that they shot Punjabi singer Teji Kahlon in Canada and warned “this is only the beginning.” They said Kahlon was shot in the abdomen and accused him of aiding rival gangs with money, weapons and information, and warned of harsher action if he did not stop.
20-Oct-2025
Former CSIS director and national security adviser Richard Fadden, who served under prime ministers Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper, said on October 20 that India never provided evidence to back its concerns about Sikh separatist activities in Canada. Fadden noted that Indian officials frequently raised the issue during his tenure, but “never gave us any evidence.” He added, “We kept trying to explain to them that we have the rule of law and our own procedures.” Fadden expressed hope that there is now “an effective exchange of law enforcement information on both sides” to allow such cases to proceed through courts.
20-Oct-2025
India’s new High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, in an interview with CTV, said that the threat posed by Khalistani groups operating in Canada is a domestic issue for Ottawa to address, not an Indian one. He dismissed allegations linking Indian diplomats to criminal activities as “preposterous and absurd.” Patnaik added that recent discussions between Ottawa and New Delhi have focused on “the entire security situation,” including the growing influence of Khalistani groups. “What we are talking about now are the different security scenarios that are happening in this country,” he said.
19-Oct-2025
According to reports, Canada is facing the fallout of its lenient immigration and law enforcement policies, which have enabled fugitive gangsters and terror-linked operatives from Punjab to establish a dangerous foothold in the country. The rise in gang violence—driven by the newly designated terrorist entity, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang—has turned isolated crimes into a transnational menace involving extortion, drug trafficking, and targeted shootings that threaten public safety and strain India–Canada relations. The gang’s audacity is evident in high-profile incidents such as the three shootings in three months targeting comedian Kapil Sharma’s cafe in Surrey, British Columbia.
18-Oct-2025
India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, dismissed allegations by the RCMP and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that linked Indian diplomats to homicides and extortion cases in Canada. He said that recent India–Canada talks have focused on “the entire security situation,” including the Khalistan separatist movement. Calling the issue a domestic one for Canada, Patnaik remarked, “Canada cannot look at this as an Indian problem. It’s a Canadian problem. There are Canadians who are creating this problem.” Expressing concern over his own security, he added, “I find it strange that a high commissioner here has to be under protection. I should not be under protection in a country like this.”
18-Oct-2025
According to reports, two truck drivers of Indian origin, Karan Owaan and Gagandeep Singh Gharil, were arrested on October 18 at the Michigan–Sarnia border in Canada for allegedly smuggling millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs. They were charged with importing methamphetamine into Canada and possessing it for the purpose of trafficking. One of the accused has reportedly been released on bail.
16-Oct-2025
Shots were fired at Indian-origin comedian and actor Kapil Sharma’s restaurant in Surrey, Canada, on October 16, the third such incident since its opening in July. The shots were fired in the early morning while staff were inside the cafe, but no one was injured. The restaurant had reopened earlier this month after being targeted twice earlier, on July 10 and August 7.
16-Oct-2025
Gangsters Goldy Dhillon and Kulvir Sidhu, affiliated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the October 16 attack on Kapil Sharma’s restaurant in Surrey, Canada, through a social media post. The post stated that they have no enmity with the general public but issued a stern warning to those involved in “illegal activities,” those who “don’t pay people after getting work done,” and “anyone in Bollywood who speaks against religion.” The message concluded with a menacing remark: “A bullet can come from anywhere. Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.”
16-Oct-2025
Khalistani terrorist and chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on October 16 issued a threat to Indian comedian and actor Kapil Sharma, demanding that he either shut down his café in Canada or speak out against India. Pannun described Sharma’s café as a “symbol of Modi’s violent Hindutva ideology,” which he claimed was responsible for the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Earlier, shots were fired at Sharma’s restaurant in Surrey, Canada — an attack for which the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility.
14-Oct-2025
British Columbia Premier David Robert Patrick Eby on October 14 described the ongoing extortion crisis in Surrey and other areas as terrorism. Surrey has recorded 33 extortion-related shootings and 59 non-shooting extortion cases so far in 2025, as of October 9. Eby said, “We pushed the federal government to list the Lawrence Bishnoi group and any other organizations involved in this extortion as terrorist entities. This is an effort to terrorize the community and extort money, whether by individuals or groups, and it is completely unacceptable.” The federal government officially designated the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist entity in Canada on September 29.
12-Oct-2025
Another shooting linked to extortion targeting the South Asian community occurred in Whalley, Surrey, on the night of October 12, leaving a woman critically injured after unidentified assailants opened fire on her inside her home in the 13000 block of 103A Avenue. The newly established Provincial Extortion Task Force has, in the past week, charged seven individuals in connection with extortion-related offences.
12-Oct-2025
Canadian political commentator and podcaster Josh Udall on October 12 said that addressing pro-Khalistan extremism in Canada could be key to improving India-Canada bilateral and trade relations. He urged Prime Minister (PM) Mark Carney’s government to take India’s security and sovereignty concerns seriously, noting that Canada faces a range of extremist threats but tends to focus on only certain types of hate.
09-Oct-2025
According to Canadian court records, 25-year-old Abjeet Kingra, hired by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to target Punjabi singer AP Dhillon, arrived in Canada on a student visa four years ago. The judge, sentencing him last month for a violent September 2024 attack on the musician’s British Columbia home, noted that Kingra struggled academically and in the job market, failing to support his family, which led him to take on this contract. He is likely to be deported to India after serving a six-year sentence.
08-Oct-2025
A member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Goldy Dhillon, identifying himself as Goldy Dhillon Fateh Portugal, claimed responsibility in a social media post for recent firing attacks on properties linked to a single restaurant owner at multiple locations in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The targeted properties operate under the ‘Ustad G 76’ brand and are located at 13025 76 Ave, Surrey; 2160 King George Blvd, South Surrey; and 21768 Lougheed Hwy, Maple Ridge. Dhillon accused the restaurant owner of harassing female employees and failing to pay wages, warning that any business owner facing similar allegations “will be held accountable” for harm to their life or enterprise.
08-Oct-2025
According to reports, two Canada-based Khalistani separatists, Moninder Singh Bual and Prabjot Singh, both representatives of the Sikh Federation of Canada and testified at the 2024 Hogue Commission on foreign interference, were guest speakers at a United Kingdom (UK) event on September 28 featuring members of a Khalistani organization listed as a terrorist entity in Canada. The National Convention of the Sikh Federation UK, hosted and livestreamed on September 28 in Wolverhampton, England, was promoted by the group as featuring “Khalistani leaders from across the globe.” One of the speakers at the event was seen wearing a jacket of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), a Khalistani separatist organization designated as a terrorist entity by Public Safety Canada since 2003.
07-Oct-2025
Bruce Pugh, Mayor of the Municipality of Wainwright in Alberta, on October 7 issued a proclamation condemning Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu bigotry in the municipality. The proclamation stated: “We condemn Hinduphobia, anti-Hindu bigotry, and intolerance toward all people, and declare the Town of Wainwright, Alberta, as a place that values equal protection and civil rights and welcomes the diversity brought by Canadian Hindus and all those who work hard, uphold family values, and contribute to our economic and social well-being.” The proclamation comes amid nearly two dozen attacks on Hindu temples since 2023, often desecrated with pro-Khalistan graffiti and posters.
07-Oct-2025
The British Columbia Supreme Court in New Westminster, on October 7, again adjourned the hearing for four persons charged with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, moving it to a case management conference on November 20, with another hearing scheduled for December 15. Nijjar was shot dead on June 18, 2023, and four individuals of Indian origin—Amandeep Singh, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh—are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), held a protest outside the courthouse where the hearing was taking place.
06-Oct-2025
In a social media post, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang claimed to have carried out shootings over the past three days at multiple locations in Canada, targeting a man named Navi Tesi, whom they accused of extorting INR 5 million from people using Bishnoi’s name. The gang stated that the attacks were conducted at his hideouts in retaliation.
06-Oct-2025
According to sources, Canadian authorities are investigating two shooting incidents that occurred on October 6 to determine whether they are connected to a recent wave of violent extortion attempts targeting South Asian-owned homes and businesses across Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. In the first incident, multiple rounds were fired at the Indian restaurant Ustaad G76, located in the 2100 block of King George Boulevard, Surrey, in the early morning of October 6. No one was inside at the time of the attack. In the second incident, a man reportedly fired several shots at the Surrey Police Service’s community office at the intersection of King George Boulevard and 107 Avenue, Surrey, in the afternoon. A suspect was arrested shortly afterward in connection with the incident. According to Surrey Police spokesperson Staff Sergeant Lindsey Houghton, the city has recorded 56 extortion attempts so far in 2025, 31 of which involved gunfire.
05-Oct-2025
According to reports, Canadian intelligence and financial authorities have reportedly intensified scrutiny of charitable organizations suspected of funneling funds to terrorist groups, particularly Khalistani outfits. Sources indicate that terrorist elements maintain sleeper cells within the Canadian non-profit sector to conceal operations and launder money. One case under review involves Nurinder Singh Parmar, reportedly the son of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) leader Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the 1985 Air India bombing. Nurinder is said to be working in the Canadian non-profit sector under a concealed identity, omitting his surname to evade scrutiny. Authorities are investigating his alleged links to the BKI, a proscribed terrorist organization under Canadian and international law.
05-Oct-2025
On the night of October 5, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang reportedly carried out shootings at multiple locations in Canada. Fateh Portugal, linked to the gang, claimed responsibility in a social media post that included videos of the attacks. The post alleged that one Navi Tesi had extorted 5 million from singers in Lawrence Bishnoi’s name, prompting the shootings at his properties — Theshi Enterprise (1254, 110 Ave), House No. 2817 (144 St), and 13049, 76 Ave Unit No. 104, Swift 1200 AM. It warned that similar action would be taken against businessmen found guilty of wrongdoing, while assuring that honest individuals had nothing to fear. The message concluded with a threat that anyone spreading false news would be personally accountable for any harm caused, and was signed off by multiple names, implying group endorsement.
04-Oct-2025
The designated Khalistani terrorist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) issued a statement on October 4, calling on the Canadian government to ban all “Made in India” films. SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed that the “Make in India” campaign had become a political weapon of Modi’s regime promoting Hindutva ideology and warned that allowing Indian films and products in Canada amounted to spreading propaganda that normalizes violence against pro-Khalistan Sikhs and undermines Canada’s Charter values.