The Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has called upon its members to hold protests outside Indian missions in Canada and elsewhere under its 'Death to India' campaign.
The Government of India has declared SFJ as an unlawful organisation and association with it is banned.
The SFJ gave the call to protests after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that there were "credible allegations of a potential link" of the Indian government with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has forcefully rejected the allegation.
Nijjar, a designated terrorist, was killed in June in Canada's British Columbia province. He was the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), which is also a designated terrorist organisation.
Advertisement
In a statement on its website, the SFJ said that a day after Trudeau's claim, the SFJ launched "'Death To India - Balkanize' campaign calling to 'shutdown Indian missions' globally on 25th Sept. to expose Modi regime's nefarious designs to assassinate Khalistan Referendum Campaigners".
The SFJ's statement quoted Khalistani leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as calling the Indian missions "terror houses".
Pannun is a designated terrorist and is one of the most vocal Khalistani faces abroad. After Trudeau's claim about an Indian role in Nijjar's killing, he had also issued threats against Hindis living in Canada and had asked them to leave the country. The public threatening to the Canadian Hindu community led to bipartisan condemnation in Canada, even from Trudeau and allies who have engaged positively with the Khalistan movement over the years.
Advertisement
Separately, SFJ Director Jatinder Singh Grewal told Reuters on Sunday that his organisation will lead the demonstrations outside the Indian embassies and consulates in Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver to "increase public awareness about Nijjar's killing".
"We are asking Canada to expel the India ambassador," said Grewal to Reuters.
Reuters further reported that the Toronto Police said it was aware of the planned protests but refused to comment.
"The Toronto Police Department said it was aware of the planned demonstrations on Monday but declined to disclose details of the security preparations or potential response to any violent situations that may arise during the protest," reported Reuters.
For years, the India-Canada relations had been strained over the safe haven that the Khalistan movement, Khalistani terrorists, and organised crime syndicates have found in the country. The relations have plunged to a new low since Trudeau made the allegations last which, followed by an exchange of diplomatic blows between India and Canada. After Trudeau made the statement over Nijjar's death, the Canadian government expelled a senior Indian diplomat posted in Canada and outed him as an Indian intelligence official. In a tit for reaction, India also expelled a Canadian diplomat posted in India who is understood to be from the Canadian intelligence agency.
Advertisement
Moreover, India has suspended visa services for Canadian and has ordered the downsizing of the Canadian missions in India.
The Khalistan movement seeks to carve out a separate nation for Sikhs out of India called Khalistan. The movement waged a bloody insurgency in India for decades and finally ebbed in the 1990s. While the insurgency ebbed in the 1990s, it has found strong pockets of influence abroad, particularly in Canada, from where it has continued to indulge in anti-India activities.
Following Trudeau's allegations, India issued an advisory warning of "politically-condoned" anti-India activities in Canada. The phrase "politically-condoned" reflects the support that the Khalistan movement and anti-India elements in Canada receive from Trudeau, his party and allies, and his government.
