Manipur tribal leader's speech in Canada raises Khalistani links: Report
A viral speech by the leader of a Canada-based Kuki-Zomi tribes group from Manipur regarding the ongoing ethnic violence in the northeastern Indian state has raised suspicions about its ties to Khalistanis. In his address at a gurdwara in Surrey, Lien Gangte, President of the North American Manipur Tribal Association(NAMTA)'s Canada section, decried the continuous "attacks on minorities in India" and requested "all possible help" from Canada.
Why does this story matter?
This new development emerged at a time when diplomatic relations between Ottawa and New Delhi are at an all-time low. Notably, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India was involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18. Meanwhile, ethnic violence has engulfed Manipur for nearly five months now, resulting in the deaths of at least 180 people and displacing thousands.
NAMTA's connection to Surrey gurdwara
It is learned that Gangte made the remarks in August during an event at the same Surrey gurdwara controlled by Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, who was shot dead by unidentified individuals. The talk was followed by confabulations between Gangte and Nijjar's associates in charge of the gurdwara, an Indian intelligence report said. According to The Times of India, NAMTA claims to represent the twin tribes from Mizoram and Manipur, as well as the northern regions of Myanmar's Chin State.
NAMTA shared Gangte's speech on socials, later deleted
Gangte's speech was reportedly shared by the US chapter of the NAMTA on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. "Our very own Lien Gangte, NAMTA Canada president, sharing with Surrey gurdwara community. Thank you to our Sikh family for standing with our cause, our Kuki-Zomi community in Manipur, India," the post read. However, the posts were later deleted after India and Canada got into a diplomatic row over Nijjar's murder.
What Gangte said in his address
"Manipur has been burning since May 3. Over 120 of our people have died, over 7,000 homes looted and burnt, hundreds of churches burnt, and 200 villages in the valley razed," NDTV quoted Gangte as saying. "No minority is safe in India. Whether Muslim, Sikh, Christians. We condemn attacks on minorities in India. The authorities did not do anything to control the violence. The Manipur Police instead encouraged the rioters," he added.
India's intelligence agencies on high alert
Following Gangte's speech, India's intelligence agencies are monitoring NAMTA's activities and the Kuki-Zomi group's reported links with pro-Khalistani elements. Intelligence services believe that the Khalistanis were simply acting at someone else's behest, even though the Surrey gurdwara was the one to contact Gangte to discuss the Manipur problem. Reportedly, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) controls the Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFG).
Jaishankar's recent comments on pro-Khalistani elements in Canada
On Friday, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar commented on the re-emergence of pro-Khalistani elements and blamed it on Ottawa's "very permissive" approach toward individuals promoting extremism and violence. "The Canadian PM made some allegations initially privately, later publicly," PTI quoted the veteran diplomat as saying during an interactive session at the Hudson Institute in the United States (US).
