Latest news with #GuruNanakSikhGurdwara
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Signage promoting Republic of Khalistan goes up in Canada
Toronto: Even as a signage promoting the Republic of Khalistan went up in Canada this week, New Delhi has reiterated that Ottawa shouldn't allow its territory to be used for anti-India activity. The controversial signage on a structure at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. (Supplied photo) The signage existed within the premises of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, but it emerged this week, after photos circulated on Monday. The sign also featured the image of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who birthed the violent separatist movement and was killed during Operation Bluestar in 1984, when Indian troops stormed the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Also shown is the former head of the gurdwara, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in Surrey on June 18, 2023. His murder also triggered the cratering of ties between India and Canada after then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement in the House of Commons that there were 'credible allegations' of a potential link between Indian agents and the crime. In a statement to the Hindustan Times, India's High Commission in Ottawa stated, 'India has repeatedly urged the Canadian authorities to take action against anti-India elements, who threaten India's territorial integrity & sovereignty, operating from their soil.' While a reset between the Government of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and India is developing, there is the belief that separatist groups will escalate provocatory acts so as to undermine the potential rapprochement, a person familiar with the matter noted. The signage has also attracted criticism from the community. In a letter to the Premier of British Columbia David Eby, Maninder Singh Gill, CEO of the Surrey-based Radio India, pointed out that it was 'appalling that the community centre that was built y the grants of the Provincial Government has been converted into a 'Khalistan Embassy'.' 'The Provincial Government should demand accountability from the Gurdwara committee or any other recipient of the Government grant. Public funds belong to everyone, public spaces that are created with public money should be welcoming to all. The promotion of extremism should not be tolerated,' he concluded. He also wrote to the Canadian prime minister's office. The National Alliance of Indo-Canadians (NAIC) said it was 'concerned and condemns such reckless acts by fringe elements that hurt Indo-Canadians'. The signage came up as India and Canada re-engage and start the process of repairing the relationship by posting High Commissioners in each other's capitals within a matter of weeks.
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Business Standard
6 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
New 'Khalistan embassy' in Canada threatens India-Canada ties again
Just as India and Canada were making cautious moves to improve strained ties, visuals of an 'Embassy of the Republic of Khalistan' on Canadian soil have risked derailing hard-earned diplomatic progress. Radical Sikh groups in British Columbia have established what they describe as the 'Embassy of the Republic of Khalistan'. Photographs accessed by India Today show that the self-proclaimed embassy is located inside a section of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey. The same gurdwara was once led by Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan figure whom Indian authorities had labelled a terrorist. Nijjar was shot dead in 2023 in the gurdwara's car park, setting off a chain of events that pushed India-Canada relations into a deep freeze. The announcement of the so-called 'embassy' coincides with preparations for a 'Khalistan referendum' organised by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a group banned in India. According to reports, Indian security agencies are keeping a close watch. Diplomatic thaw under threat The development comes at a time when ties between the two countries had shown tentative signs of a thaw. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canada's newly-elected Prime Minister Mark Carney met face-to-face during the G7 summit earlier this year — their first such meeting since tensions escalated. Both sides had indicated a willingness to move beyond the fallout from Nijjar's killing and the allegations made by former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder — a charge New Delhi has firmly denied. Canadian intelligence backs India's security concerns India has long raised concerns about Khalistani groups using Canadian soil as a safe haven for promoting separatist ideology, fundraising, and plotting acts of violence. It has consistently criticised Canadian authorities for alleged inaction. In a notable shift, Canadian authorities have acknowledged these concerns. In June 2025, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officially recognised the threat posed by Khalistani extremists operating within Canada. Its annual report stated: 'Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India.' While no attacks linked to Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) occurred in 2024, CSIS warned that such actors remain active in global financing and operational planning. This marked the first time the Canadian government has officially used the term 'extremism' in the context of the Khalistan movement. CSIS described Canada-based Khalistani extremists as a core element of the country's politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) threat. According to the agency, PMVE groups aim to use violence to create new political systems or structures, often through cross-border efforts. Khalistani actors, the agency warned, continue to engage in 'planning, financing and facilitating attacks globally' in pursuit of a separate Khalistan state, primarily carved out of India's Punjab region.
India Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Khalistan 'embassy' at Nijjar's old stomping ground threatens India-Canada reset
Just as a thaw was taking shape in India-Canada relations, the establishment of an "embassy" promoting the Khalistan cause on Canadian soil could make the path to a diplomatic reset more Sikh elements in Canada's British Columbia province have set up what they are calling 'Embassy of the Republic of Khalistan', photos of which India Today has accessed. The self-styled embassy has been established within a wing of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in gurdwara was once headed by Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose killing in 2023 sent bilateral ties between India and Canada into a deep freeze. In fact, Nijjar was gunned down in the parking lot of the very same gurdwara. The symbolic setup openly supports Nijjar. Its opening coincides with preparations for a 'Khalistan referendum' organised by the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Indian security agencies are closely monitoring the situation, sources said. The development threatens to derail recent attempts at rapprochement between the two nations, including the first in-person meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his newly elected Canadian counterpart Mark Carney during the G7 summit earlier this two sides had signalled interest in moving beyond the diplomatic rupture triggered by Nijjar's death and unproven allegations by former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau of the Indian government's involvement. New Delhi has categorically rejected any role in the Delhi has long expressed concerns over Khalistani elements using Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India, and censured Ottawa for not acting against India, the symbolic Khalistan 'embassy' is yet another example of Ottawa failing to act against groups it sees as threats to its national security, a point it has raised repeatedly since the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 India's warnings have now found echo in Canada's own intelligence assessments. In June, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for the first time publicly acknowledged the threat posed by Khalistani extremists operating from Canadian its annual report, the CSIS noted that Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) remain a long-standing source of politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) in the country. While no CBKE-linked attacks were reported in 2024, the agency warned that such actors continue to engage in financing, facilitating, and plotting violence also marked the first time Canadian authorities officially used the term 'extremism' in connection with the Khalistan CSIS report came amid an ongoing investigation into Nijjar's killing. Four individuals were arrested in May 2024 and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.- Ends
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pro-Khalistan Sikhs protest on second anniversary of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death
Dozens of pro-Khalistan Sikh activists protested outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver on Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of the killing of B.C. gurdwara leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Khalistan movement refers to a Sikh separatist movement that seeks to create an independent Sikh state in parts of northern India. Nijjar, a key organizer for an unofficial overseas referendum on Khalistan, was gunned down in the parking lot of Surrey, B.C.'s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, where he was president, on June 18, 2023. Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the Sikh Federation (Canada), said Nijjar's death has galvanized the community over the last two years. "It was a wake-up call that that violence has made its way to Canada, unfortunately." Singh said at the Vancouver Indian nationals — Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Amandeep Singh — have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Nijjar's killing. Months after Nijjar's death in 2023, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being linked to Nijjar's killing, leading to strained relations between India and Canada. On Wednesday, Singh highlighted that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has said India's government continues to be a foreign interference concern, according to its annual report released Tuesday. "Links between the Government of India and the Nijjar murder signals a significant escalation in India's repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America," said the CSIS report. Singh said the issue of foreign interference extends beyond the Sikh community. "That's actually violating Canada's sovereignty, undermining its electoral process, its democratic institutions," he said. "So for us this is really very much a Canadian issue, and not just a Sikh issue." The anniversary rally comes a day after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the G7 summit in Alberta and met with his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney. After the meeting, the two countries agreed to reinstate their high commissioners and are eyeing renewed visa services to each other's citizens and businesses, in a sign that Canada-India relations are defrosting. Singh said it was "frustrating" to see Modi at the meeting, and added that rebuilding the bilateral relationship without set outcomes is "very, very premature." He said without clear objectives, the Canadian government won't be able to share how it has mitigated the threat of India's foreign influence. At the G7, Carney did not directly answer a journalist's question about his discussion with Modi about Nijjar's murder. "We have had a discussion, the prime minister and I, about the importance of having the law enforcement-to-law enforcement dialogue, not just dialogue, but co-operation," Carney said during a G7 news conference Tuesday. "Obviously there is a judicial process underway, and I need to be careful about further commentary." Modi's government has denied ordering killings in Canada.
Global News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Global News
B.C. Sikh temple whose president was murdered calls for Modi's G7 invite to be pulled
The British Columbia Sikh temple whose president was allegedly murdered by agents of the Indian government has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing 'deep disappointment' that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to the upcoming G7 meeting. Last week, Modi confirmed he would attend the meeting, to be held in Kananaskis, Alta., from June 15 to 17. The move comes amid elevated tensions between the two countries following allegations of foreign interference and former prime minister Justin Trudeau's public claims linking 'agents of the Indian government' to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, president of Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and prominent advocate for an independent Sikh state. 2:05 Carney's G7 invite to India's Modi stirs up controversy with suspected ties to B.C. murder In the letter, the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society cites those allegations, which they say were further validated last October when Canadian law enforcement confirmed clandestine operations by Indian agents in Canada, and the subsequent expulsion of six Indian diplomats. Story continues below advertisement 'We all feel it is adding insult to injury and the community is reeling from continuous violence over the last several years that has been carried out by agents of the inidan government as per the foreign affairs commission,' said Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the Sikh Federation Canada. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'This new signalling of a softening of relations … it just signals that Sikh lives, Canadian lives, the sovereignty of the country as well which has been undermined by India, all of that is secondary to issues of economics and trade and diplomacy which shouldn't be the case ever for a country like Canada.' 3:02 Carney asked if he believes Modi was involved in murder of B.C. Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar The letter calls for Modi's invitation to be withdrawn and all further diplomatic engagements with India to be paused until the investigation of Nijjar's murder is complete. 'The Sikh community perceives this diplomatic action as undermining Canada's commitment to justice, citizen safety, and national sovereignty, potentially signalling tolerance for state-sponsored violence and foreign interference,' it states. Story continues below advertisement India has denied any involvement in Nijjar's killing. During a press conference on Friday, Carney avoided giving a yes or no answer when repeatedly asked if he believed Modi was involved in Nijjar's killing. 'There is a legal process that is literally underway and quite advanced in Canada, and it's never appropriate to make comments,' Carney said. 'My message is that we are a country of the rule of law, the rule of law is proceeding as it should in Canada, and I am not going to disrupt that process.' 2:28 Evidence links violent crimes in Canada to Indian government Carney has said Modi is being invited to the conference, despite foreign interference concerns, because the meeting would tackle energy security and building infrastructure, and India should be involved in those discussions. Story continues below advertisement His office later said Ottawa's top priority for the summit will be strengthening global peace and security, which includes countering foreign interference and transnational crime. Surrey Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal said he has received dozens of complaints from constituents, and is encouraging the prime minister to reconsider the invite. 'All of the events that are happening, some of that I can't even mention, that people are worried about their lives right now. So it is sending the wrong message basically, they are telling me,' he told Global News on Saturday. Singh said Sikh groups in Canada are calling on MPs of both parties to speak out against the invite, and to affirm a commitment to a public inquiry on India's transnational repression. He also called on the government to end any intelligence sharing with India. The groups plan to meet with both Liberal and opposition MPs this week to press their case.
