ISLAMABAD: A week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested a potential connection between New Delhi and the killing of a Sikh separatist advocate in British Columbia, Canadian Sikhs held protests outside India’s diplomatic missions on Monday.
A week ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed the Canadian parliament that domestic intelligence agencies were actively investigating credible allegations linking Indian agents to the shooting of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh in June.
In response to this statement, protests erupted in Toronto, where demonstrators burned an Indian flag and used a shoe to strike a cardboard cut-out of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Similar protests occurred in Vancouver and Ottawa, with demonstrators advocating for an independent Sikh state in India’s Punjab region.
Protesters in Ottawa expressed gratitude to Justin Trudeau and urged Canada to pressure India to prevent future killings of innocent people. Canada is home to a significant Sikh population, with approximately 770,000 Sikhs, the largest outside of Punjab.
Tensions between India and Canada have been growing due to demonstrations by Canada’s Sikh community, leading to India labeling Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and warning travelers about “anti-India activities” in Canada without providing specific evidence.
Diplomatic Tensions Spotlight Canada’s Sikh Community
The allegations have drawn attention to Canada’s Sikh community, which constitutes just two percent of India’s population but is a majority in Punjab. The situation has led to a diplomatic standoff, with both countries expelling diplomats and India suspending visas for Canadians. Some protesters have called for the expulsion of the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma.
Hardeep Sing Ninja, a Canadian citizen who left Punjab 25 years ago, supported the creation of an independent Sikh homeland and was designated as a “terrorist” by India in July 2020. According to sources, the Canadian government has collected both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh separatist leader.
