US: Indian ambassador harassed by Khalistani supporters at gurdwara
Indian Ambassador to the United States (US) Taranjit Singh Sandhu was reportedly mobbed and harassed by a group of Khalistani supporters at the Hicksville Gurdwara in New York's Long Island on Sunday (local time). The Indian envoy had gone to the gurdwara to offer prayers on the occasion of Gurpurab. The pro-Khalistani supporters also accused Sandhu of plotting the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil earlier this year.
Why does this story matter?
Designated a terrorist by India, Nijjar was reportedly shot dead by masked individuals in June at a gurdwara parking lot in Canada's Surrey. Later in September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic row over alleging Indian government agents played a role in his assassination. In response, India rejected Trudeau's allegations and labeled them "absurd." Recently, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India isn't ruling out a probe but wants Canada to provide evidence regarding its claims.
How things escalated at New York gurdwara
In a viral clip of the exchange between Sandhu and the Khalistani supporters, the envoy could be seen telling the group that he was visiting the gurdwara for seva (service). Not only for Nijjar's death, but they also accused Sandhu of plotting to kill United States (US)-based Khalistani separatist and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. While some others tried to defuse the situation, the protesters could be seen following Sandhu and demanding a response.
Video of Sandhu being heckled by pro-Khalistani supporters
Heckling of Sandhu isn't justified: BJP leader
Condemning the heckling of the Indian ambassador, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Monday that Sandhu has a rich "legacy." "His father was Teja Singh Samundari, who fought for Chabi wala Morcha for gurdwara before independence (sic)," Sirsa told ANI. He added, "I believe that this kind of heckling of him is not justified at all."
What Indian envoy said about his gurdwara visit
Meanwhile, on X (formerly Twitter), Sandhu posted about his visit to the Hicksville Gurdwara but didn't mention the heckling incident. "Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab," he tweeted. Sandhu added that he also got to speak on Guru Nanak's eternal message of "unity, togetherness, and equality."
When Sikh activists stopped Indian envoy at Scotland gurdwara
This is not the first time an Indian envoy has been harassed at a gurdwara amid the ongoing Indo-Canadian diplomatic row. Back in September, Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) Vikram Doraiswami was denied entry to a Scotland gurdwara by radical British Sikh activists. "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," an activist said at the time.
