KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A pro-India group faced off against pro-Khalistan elements in the city of Calgary in Alberta on Saturday as the latter gathered to protest in front of a venue for a community event welcoming India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma.
Approximately two dozen Indo-Canadians gathered across the street from the pro-Khalistan protesters, some of whom held weapons, including at least one seen to be holding a sword up. Local police kept vigil and prevented the two opposing groups from clashing.
The protest was the latest as pro-Khalistani groups have staged similar demonstrations at venue hosting Verma in Surrey on March 1 and Edmonton on March 11.
Given the threat perception, the hosts had already cancelled a scheduled community event in Calgary on Friday but a lunch for the High Commissioner was organised at another location on Saturday afternoon.
The protests have dogged Verma who has travelled to Western Canada for the first time Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons on September 18 there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, three months earlier. A call to “target” Verma at these events was given by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), for which Nijjar was the principal organiser in BC.
However, Verma’s safety has been assured by Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry, and he has been escorted by officers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), responsible for diplomatic security, with local law enforcement detachments keeping the pro-Khalistan protesters from approaching him and entering the venues hosting him.
Verma described the engagements in the two provinces as “successful”, as he was hosted at the legislature building in Victoria, capital of BC, and held a meeting with the Surrey Board of Trade in that town. He also met with the Premier of the territory of Yukon while in Vancouver. In Alberta, he met with the province’s Premier Danielle Smith in the capital Edmonton and also attended an event hosted by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce in that city and also held several meetings in Calgary.
In a concerning turn of events, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has issued threats against New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, following his challenge to claims linking India to the killing of separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Pannun, notorious for his pro-Khalistan activities and as the leader of ‘Sikhs for Justice’, recently circulated a poster hinting at violent actions targeting India’s top diplomat in Canada. Expressing dissatisfaction with Peters’ perceived alignment with India in the Nijjar case, Pannun has now extended threats towards Indian diplomats in New Zealand.
These developments transpired subsequent to Deputy Prime Minister Peters’ remarks questioning allegations of an “Indian link” to Nijjar’s killing in Surrey last year. Peters, during a visit to India, emphasized the absence of concrete evidence supporting the alleged involvement of Indian agents, openly challenging the evidence presented by Canada.
“As a trained lawyer, I look okay, so where’s the case? Where’s the evidence? Where’s the finding right here, right now? Well, there isn’t one,” Peters asserted, marking a significant departure from the narrative previously propagated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September.
The killing of Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023, initiated a diplomatic rift between New Delhi and Ottawa, exacerbating tensions between India and Canada. Peters’ remarks represent the first instance where a Five-Eyes partner, comprising the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, has openly contested Ottawa’s assertions.
A case was registered on Wednesday after some employees of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) had been receiving audio messages threatening to destroy the Indian Economy since March 12, the same day when the BSE building was destroyed in a bomb blast in 1993.
The complainant, Abhijit Anand Pai, 45, BSE deputy general manager, investor services department, said that the audio clip said to beware from March 12 to April 30.
According to Pai, several of their employees’ mobile numbers, mentioned on the website in the Contact Us section, have received the audio clips.
The pre-recorded audio messages said: “On 12th of March 1993, we destroyed the BSE Building. This year we will not destroy that building. We will destroy the economy. Beware from 12th March to 30th April. Sell all your ICICI Stocks and buy American stocks, Modi Government will be destroyed. Sikhs for Justice General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.”
The police said all the clips were received from mobile numbers starting with +44 — the country code for the United Kingdom — however, the police suspect that the call may or may not have originated from the UK, as the country code can be changed by using VOIP.
“Four employees of BSE have received the messages several times. We have registered a case against unknown people under sections 505 (1) (B) (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumours or report), 505 (2) (statements conducting to public mischief), 506 (2) (criminal intimidation) and 507 (Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication) of the Indian Penal Code,” said an official from RA Marg police.
The police suspect it to be the work of Pannun, leader of Sikh for Justice (SFJ), who has given open threats to India in the past.
In the first week of January, several well-known people in the city received audio clips from a person claiming to be Pannun. The Mumbai Police had initiated an inquiry into the matter. In the message the man has been claiming that the 12th of March is D-Day for Indian Financial Markets, and they are going to destroy the Indian economy, by not bombing the stock markets, but by making them bankrupt.
Pannun had earlier instigated Muslims to stop Prime Minister Modi’s Ayodhya roadshows on December 30 after which the intelligence agency went on high alert. He then sent a video message.
He had earlier threatened to ‘shut down’ the ICC World Cup final and later attack Parliament. He had also warned the global Sikh community against flying aboard Air India.
In November 2023, the US federal prosecutors charged Indian National, Nikhil Gupta, working with an Indian government employee in a foiled plot to kill Pannun on American soil.
At least 80 pro-Khalistan protesters raised derogatory slogans when Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma attended an event organised by the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (ICCC) in Edmonton on March 11.
The event had earlier gained prominence after Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun called for the Khalistan sympathisers to “challenge, target and question” the Indian envoy over the alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Sikh preacher Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
The March 11 event saw several protesters shouting slogans targeting the Indian envoy and the Indian state while a protester was seen defiling the Indian Tricolour.
“Pro-Khalistan elements tried to disrupt the event, but did not succeed,” Mr. Verma told The Hindu after the event.
Earlier, Mr. Pannun’s network of sympathisers had spread a poster opposing the March 11 event. The poster campaign that restarted after a lull of few weeks once again revived the memories of the bitter moments of 2023 when sustained campaign by the Khalistani elements in Canada – that called for violent attacks against Indian diplomats – had prompted India to shut down the consular services in the Indian High Commission in Ottawa temporarily as India had feared for the safety of the Indian envoy.
It was learnt that in response to the poster campaign, Canadian authorities had stationed law enforcement officials at the venue who secured the route for the Indian High Commissioner and his spouse.
‘Event a success’
The event was a success, said organiser Ravi Prakash Singh, Chair of Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (Alberta).
“This is one of the most successful events of ICCC and we had really good attendance from all big business leaders, dignitaries and political figures of Edmonton. Our role as ICCC is to bring the business community together and I personally tried to explain it to my friends who were protesting outside for the past five to six days that our event is non-political, non-religious, and we talk purely about business and trade between India and Canada,” said Mr. Singh, while speaking to The Hindu from Canada.
Earlier, Mr. Verma met with trade representatives in Surrey where the protesters tried to disrupt the meeting.
India had restarted the e-visa facilities for Canadian citizens after the temporary pause of last year and the Khalistan issue has emerged as a major issue between the two sides.
Footage of the killing of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar has been made public for the first time, as it aired in a television news programme on Friday.
The video, taken from a surveillance camera providing a view of the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib on the evening of June 18 last year, shows a white sedan blocking the path of the Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by Nijjar. As that happen, two persons, believed to be Nijjar’s killers, can be seen running towards the vehicle, before they escaped in a waiting Toyota Camry. The video was aired by the Government-funded outlet CBC News.
That video was also viewed by the outlet Globe and Mail which reported on it earlier in the week. “A senior federal source said the Trudeau government is frustrated that no arrests have been made,” the outlet reported.
The case is being handled by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). In a release in August, IHIT said investigators have said that a third person, the driver of a getaway vehicle, was involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a major pro-Khalistan figure in the country, on June 18 in the town of Surrey in the province of British Columbia.
In a release on Wednesday, the IHIT said it had confirmed that a 2008 silver Toyota Camry was used to drive away the two “heavy-set” and masked suspects in the killing. It had released a grainy image of the driver of the car, which was captured by CCTV in the vicinity.
In December, the Globe and Mail reported that two persons involved in the killing were under surveillance by Canadian law enforcement and that they could be arrested within weeks. On March 6, the Globe reported that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) “told the Government that they want to make sure the case will not fall apart at trial before arrests are made”, citing a source.
It also said “police will explain the alleged assassins’ involvement and that of the Indian government when charges are laid against the two men.”
Nijjar’s killing caused a rupture in relations between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons on September 18 there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder.
The police on Thursday averted targeted killings with the arrest of two operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The information was shared by DGP Gaurav Yadav here today.
The DGP stated that the module was being run by US-based Harpreet Singh alias Happy Pasia and his close associate Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh Rinda along with another aide Shamsher Singh Shera, who lives in Armenia.
Yadav said the two had been identified as Kuldeep Singh alias Ghugg, resident of village Bittal Jhuggian, and Avtar Singh alias Ladi, resident of village Sanghowal, in Jalandhar.
They were arrested from a naka at Mehatpur in Jalandhar. The police also recovered a .32 bore pistol along with four magazines and 30 rounds from them along with a bike (PB08-FI 3940).
Yadav said the preliminary investigation revealed that Happy and Shera along with Rinda were involving youngsters in anti-national activities in the state. He said it had also come to the fore that the arrested youths were tasked with carrying out targeted killings.
He said they had been booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. AIG, Counter Intelligence, Jalandhar, Navjot Singh Mahal said following a tip-off, the Jalandhar police ran a special operation at Mehatpur and arrested them.
Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/2-bki-operatives-nabbed-planned-targeted-killings-598292
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who has been in the news for his pro-Khalistan activities, has once again come into focus after he put out a poster that is suggestive of violent attacks against Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma.
The poster in question began circulating in North American social media after the India-Canada Chamber of Commerce announced that Mr. Verma would participate in a networking event to be organised in Edmonton on March 11.
“We have always tried to carry all sections of the Indo-Canadian community in our work and neither the High Commissioner nor we have cancelled the programme despite the posters. We believe that while living outside, we are all known because of our Indian roots and there is no difference among us. So we hope this problem can be overcome before the event,” said Ravi Prakash Singh, Chair, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (Alberta).
Soon after the organisers sent out the poster of the event, another poster bearing the face of murdered pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar began to spread online. It also had Mr. Verma’s image painted in the middle of a target, saying, “Challenge, target, question.”
Pannun has in the past courted controversy by calling on international passengers to avoid Air India hinting that the airline could suffer sabotage. His aggressive poster campaign, which in the past linked Indian diplomats based in the U.K., Canada, the U.S. and Australia with the Nijjar assassination, had been cited by India to shut down its consular services, including e-visas for Canadians. The e-visa services were restarted in November 2023.
He has also been a known supporter of the online campaign for Khalistan referendum.
One of the organisers of the March 11 event, however, called for reconciliation among all communities from India.
Nijjar murder fallout
Nijjar was shot and killed by unknown assassins in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023. The incident subsequently became a political hot potato when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a startling statement in the House of Commons last September, accused Indian secret service agents of being responsible for the murder.
The India-Canada relations, which have been on a downward spiral ever since, recovered somewhat in January after outgoing Canadian National Security Adviser Jody Thomas said that India had begun cooperating with Canada in its investigation to find the killers of Nijjar.
Meanwhile, another case involving Pannun hit the headlines after the American authorities accused an overseas Indian of trying to kill the pro-Khalistan lawyer, who is based in New York and Canada. Acting on American request, Czech authorities had arrested Nikhil Gupta who was accused of trying to kill Pannun.
The Assam Police have strengthened the security of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma following a threat from a banned Khalistani outfit.
A caller claiming to be the supporter of pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh, lodged in eastern Assam’s Dibrugarh Central Jail, alleged that the latter was being tortured in captivity along with his nine associates.
The caller said the Chief Minister would face the consequences if the 10 Sikhs, who are on a hunger strike, die in jail.
Mr. Singh was arrested by Punjab Police under the National Security Act in April 2023 and transported to Assam on a special flight. The other nine, also booked under NSA, were arrested and sent to the same jail later.
“...Amritpal Singh and his associates are on a hunger strike in Dibrugarh jail. Order the shifting of Amritpal and his associates to Amritsar jail or face the consequences. Sikhs for Justice are filing a complaint in the United Nations against India...,” the caller said.
“If any of the Singhs in Dibrugarh jail attains shahidi (martyrdom), CM Sarma, you will face the consequences. And pro-Khalistan Sikhs take their enemies to the grave. This message is from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel of Sikhs for Justice,” the caller said.
The Chief Minister brushed the threat aside but Assam’s Director-General of Police, Gyanendra Pratap Singh said his force was taking it seriously.
“We have strengthened the security after this threat came to our notice. We have assessed the risks and have written to all the DGPs and Central agencies to provide the Chief Minister with security as per the threat since he travels extensively,” the DGP said.
“Pannun lives in the U.S. and is associated with Sikhs for Justice, which is a designated terrorist organisation in India. We are taking the threat seriously,” he added.
On February 17, the staff of Dibrugarh jail detected a major security breach in the NSA cell, where Mr. Singh is lodged along with nine of his associates.
The jail staff recovered a smartphone with SIM, a keypad phone, a TV remote with a keyboard, a spy cam pen, pen drives, Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and a smartwatch during a search.
India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma held a meeting with a local trade board in British Columbia in tense circumstances on Friday evening, as the venue was surrounded by pro-Khalistan elements protesting the event.
This was Verma’s first visit to Surrey since the murder of pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the British Columbia town on June 18 last year.
The event was targeted as protestors attempted to stop it from proceeding but after it’s conclusion, Verma described the event as “successful.”
“Overall, a well organized and well attended event,” he added.
“Slogan shouting was on expected lines. I was the main target. Abuses hurled. Tiranga was disrespected,” he said of the protests outside.
The event titled, India and Canada: The Future of our Global Economy Together, was jointly organised by the Surrey Board of Trade (SBOT) and the South Asian Business Association (SABA).
The venue, the Sheraton Guildford Hotel, was locked down by local law enforcement with no one allowed to enter without an invitation and identification.
Half-an-hour before the scheduled starting time of 6pm, many protestors, numbering close to 500, gathered outside the hotel, surrounding it and blocking its entrances. Many were masked, as flyers circulated prior to the protest had warned them to do so to escape “Indian surveillance.” They carried Khalistan flags and raised separatist slogans.
Heavy police presence was maintained by the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP, as the protestors tried to block the entrances. Police also prevented the protestors from entering the venue.
Verma met Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke earlier in the day and he said that interaction was “extremely positive.”
Amid the heightened threat perception, organisers removed all announcements related to it from social media like X and Instagram, where they were posted earlier.
The call for the protest had been given by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which threatened to target Verma. SFJ’s general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun described Surrey as a “war zone” and said “pro-Khalistan Sikhs will continue to target Verma.”
In fact, Khalistani groups are also organising a car rally on Saturday to “shut down” India’s Consulate in Vancouver. That rally will start from the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, which was headed by Nijjar till he was killed in its parking lot.
The HC’s previous visit to Surrey last year when, on March 19, he had to cancel an appearance at a reception organized by the Friends of India & Canada Foundation in the town as nearly 200 protestors, some wielding swords, gathered in front of the venue, the Taj Park Convention Centre and blocked the entrance. Referring to Friday’s event, Maninder Singh Gill, the Foundation’s president said, “Khalistanis have a right to protest but verbally assaulting attendees is unacceptable and I condemn this behaviour.
The secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ has threatened to “target” India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa ahead of his first visit to Surrey since pro-Khalistan figure Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in that town in British Columbia on June 18 last year.
High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma’s visit to the province of British Columbia includes stops in the capital Victoria, as well as Vancouver and Surrey. On Friday, he is scheduled to meet with Surrey’s Mayor Brenda Locke and also with the Surrey Board of Trade.
In an email, SFJ general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun said his group will “Question-Target” Verma on March 1. Pannun said, “India is responsible for orchestrating assassination of Shaheed Nijjar and Pro-Khalistan Sikhs will have an opportunity in Surrey to directly ‘Challenge-Target-Question’” the Indian High Commissioner. A protest is also being organised in Surrey then.
This is Verma’s first visit to BC since March last year. Responding to the SFJ message, he said, “The threat against me has been conveyed to the concerned Canadian authorities, who have assured me of my security.”
“As you are aware, SFJ is a banned organization under Unlawful Association Prevention Act of India. It continues its venomous efforts to derail otherwise rich Canada-India bilateral relations,” he said.
SFJ said it is “hiring lawyers to hold Indian diplomats accountable for orchestrating violence against pro-Khalistan Sikhs”.
Alluding to being targeted by Pannun, Verma said, “He has been doing so for quite some time, without any cost put on him by society or the system and by misusing freedom of speech.”
Nijjar, SFJ’s principal figure in the province, was gunned down in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara that he headed at the time. That murder subsequently led to bilateral relations being severely impacted after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in the House of Commons on September 18, 2023, there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing.
Since that killing, SFJ ran a poster campaign targeting India’s seniormost diplomats in Canada including Verma.
The High Commissioner’s previous visit to Surrey last year when on March 19, he had to cancel an appearance at a reception organised by the Friends of India & Canada Foundation in the town as nearly 200 protestors, some wielding swords, gathered in front of the venue, the Taj Park Convention Centre and blocked the entrance.