Vancouver (Rajeev Sharma): Pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has once again escalated its campaign, declaring that it will “occupy” the Indian Consulate in Vancouver on Thursday. The group, which operates from the United States, appealed to members of the Indo-Canadian community to avoid visiting the consulate on that day.
Alongside its announcement, SFJ circulated a poster portraying India’s new High Commissioner, Dinesh Patnaik, with a target mark on his image. The group alleged that Indian diplomatic offices in Canada were functioning as intelligence hubs, keeping tabs on supporters of the Khalistan Referendum.
SFJ tied its latest move to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2023 statement in Parliament that Indian agents were being investigated in connection with the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The organisation reiterated that “surveillance” on pro-Khalistan activists has only intensified since then.
The group also claimed that the threat environment had forced the RCMP to extend protection to Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who took over leadership of the referendum campaign after Nijjar’s death. It said the so-called siege was aimed at demanding accountability from Indian authorities for alleged intimidation.
So far, neither India’s Ministry of External Affairs nor the Indian Consulate in Vancouver has issued a comment on the warning.
