Vancouver: As India and Canada continue efforts to restore diplomatic relations, a pro-Khalistan group has issued a fresh threat against Indian diplomatic establishments in Canada.
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based organisation advocating for Khalistan, announced that it will "lay siege" to the Indian Consulate in Vancouver on Thursday. The group has urged Indo-Canadians with scheduled visits to reschedule their appointments.
SFJ released a poster depicting India's newly appointed High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, with a target symbol over his face. The organisation accused Indian consulates of running spy networks and carrying out surveillance against Khalistan supporters.
In its statement, the group invoked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's remarks in Parliament on September 18, 2023, when he said Indian agents' involvement was being investigated in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. "Two years on, Indian Consulates continue to run a spy network and surveillance targeting Khalistan Referendum campaigners," SFJ claimed.
The organisation also alleged that threats to its members were so severe that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had placed Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who took over the Khalistan Referendum campaign after Nijjar's killing, under witness protection.
SFJ said its planned siege would seek "accountability" for alleged espionage and intimidation carried out by Indian officials on Canadian soil.
Neither India's Ministry of External Affairs nor the Indian Consulate in Vancouver has responded to the threat.
The issue of Khalistani extremism in Canada has seen renewed focus. A Canadian government report released earlier this month confirmed that extremist Khalistani groups, including Babbar Khalsa International and the International SYF, both proscribed as terrorist organisations under Canada's Criminal Code, were receiving financial backing from individuals and networks within the country. The report noted that such groups primarily function through smaller, loosely connected networks of supporters rather than large formal organisations.