VANCOUVER – Sikh representatives in British Columbia – where one of their leaders, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was shot dead in June 2023 – say their communities will not feel safe as long as the Indian Consulates in Vancouver and Toronto – which they define as “houses of terror” – will not be closed.
This is what is happening after the Canadian government expelled six Indian diplomats, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, because the RCMP (the Canadian federal police) had “evidence” of their (for the moment alleged) involvement in crimes including murders and extortions against the Khalistan independence movement, strongly supported by the large Canadian Sikh community but considered a “terrorist group” in India. India, which has already rejected all the accusations against its diplomats to the sender (i.e. Canada) and responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats in turn.
On Tuesday evening, during a press conference in Surrey, Vancouver, where the slain leader was active, one of the Sikh representatives, Gurkeerat Singh, said that “the safety and security of the Sikhs will still be in question” unless that Indian Consulates are not closed. Jatinder Singh Grewal, member of Sikhs for Justice, also declared that “these houses of terror (the Indian Consulates, ed.), they need to be shut down”.
“The RCMP laid it out quite clearly, that Indian diplomats in Canada are actively monitoring, looking at the behaviour, patterns and activities of pro-Khalistani Sikhs, and then sharing that information with individuals back in India”, he said, as reported by The Canadian Press. However, it has not been fully revealed what the connection is (if any) between the expelled Indian diplomats and the young Indians arrested last May on charges of having committed the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Meanwhile, tension among Sikh communities – about everywhere – is growing: an “Unofficial Account” of Sikhs for Justice on Twitter X published two videos of some Sikhs burning the photos of Sanjay Kumar Verma, the (now expelled) High Commissioner of India in Canada (here below, from Sikh for Justice – Unofficial Accout page).
#BreakingNews Pro Khalistan Sikhs
“Set ABLAZE” Effigy of
Sanjay VERMA, Indian High Commissioner in Vancouver, For Orchestrating ASSASSINATION of Shaheed NiJJAR#Khalistani #Sikhs pic.twitter.com/SzRXo5u9Xm— Sikh For Justice. (@Khalistan2030) October 13, 2024
A difficult situation, in short, which could have repercussions, for example for the many aspiring Indian immigrants to Canada: immigration experts in fact speak of a lengthening of the time required for immigration procedures from India, which are increasingly numerous: according to data from the National Foundation for American Policy, Indian immigration increased approximately 326% from 2013 to 2023.