Khalistani group to hold 'anti-India' rally in Canada today: Report
A Khalistani group has reportedly organized an "anti-India" rally in a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, amid rising tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi. Sources in the know told News18 that the rally organizers plan to bring together Sikh extremists from across the country on Sunday to discuss the rising threat of Indian violence in Canada and how to respond effectively.
Why does this story matter?
The new development comes when India and Canada are locked in a diplomatic row after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi's role in the killing of Canadian citizen and Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on July 18. Furthermore, Trudeau appears to have taken no forceful action against what observers are calling a "new resurgence of Khalistani activism" in his country.
Recalling previous pro-Khalistani protests in Canada
It is worth recalling that this is not the first protest organized by a pro-Khalistani group in Canada. On September 25, the news agency Reuters reported that Canadian Sikhs staged small agitations outside India's diplomatic missions in Canada. Around 100 individuals gathered in front of the Indian embassy in Ottawa and waved yellow flags marked with the word "Khalistan."
Radical Sikh activists stopped Indian envoy from entering Scotland gurdwara
Similarly, India's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Vikram Doraiswami, was denied entry at a gurdwara in Scotland's Glasgow by a group of radical British Sikh activists on Friday. Speaking about the confrontation, a radical Sikh activist said, "We are fed up with the UK-India collusion. The recent tensions since Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing have led to British Sikhs being targeted."
Scotland gurdwara condemns Khalistani extremists
Following the incident, Gurdwara Guru Granth Sahib Sikh Sabha released a statement condemning the act. "Glasgow Gurdwara strongly condemns such disorderly behavior to disrupt the peaceful proceedings of a Sikh place of worship. The Gurdwara is open to people from all communities and backgrounds," the statement added. It added that Police Scotland arrived afterward and took cognizance of the matter.
Jaishankar's recent comments on Khalistani elements, Canada
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar blamed the re-emergence of the Khalistani elements on Canada's "very permissive" attitude toward those spreading extremism. "In the last few years, it (Khalistani movement) has come back, very much into play, because of what we consider to be a very permissive Canadian attitude towards terrorists, extremist people who openly advocate violence," Jaishankar stated on Friday.
