Calling for a 'shutdown' of Indian consulates in Canada, a pro-Khalistani outfit has said it will hold peaceful protests beginning next week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar, who was spearheading the Khalistani referendum in Canada, was gunned down in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey city of British Columbia after evening prayers on June 18 this year.
The Sikhs for Justice, which is outlawed in India, said protests are slated to take place outside Indian consulates in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver on September 25, the Vancouver-based Global News reported.
“We will not allow the Indian consulates to function and we’re going to push the Canadian government to name the individuals who are responsible for assassinating and giving the orders to hit Nijjar,” Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ's legal counsel, told Global News.
“He has been assassinated outside the gurdwara -- that was being done to give a very strong message to pro-Khalistan Sikhs that they will be hunted, even in the Western world,” Pannun said.
The SFJ told the news channel that it will also be calling for the expulsion of Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Verma.
Canada on Monday expelled senior Indian diplomat Pavan Kumar Rai after Trudeau's claims of “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the killing of Nijjar.
While foreign minister Melanie Joly didn’t name the diplomat, her office subsequently identified him as the RAW station chief in Canada.
Calling Trudeau's revelation “unprecedented", Jaskaran Sandhu, a board member with the World Sikh Organisation of Canada, was quoted as saying in Global News that he won’t be surprised if protests take place outside consulates before September 25 as well,
“People are livid right now. This is a news story that obviously has shaken the whole country. It’s also a news story that has shaken the community to a certain extent,” he said in an interview.
Trudeau, who was snubbed in India during his recent visit, said any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty".
Despite New Delhi registering strong protests, an anti-India campaign has continued in Canada with pro-Khalistani graffiti and posters targeting Indian diplomats and temples across the country.
Incidents of Khalistani elements protesting outside the Indian consulate in Toronto displaying "Kill India" posters, had led to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar saying that Canada was apparently allowing these protests driven by votebank politics.
Meanwhile, the second referendum to weigh support for Khalistan will be held in Canada on October 29.
It will also be asking voters now whether the Indian high commissioner was responsible for Nijjar's death.
Central Detective Training Institute in Tripura to strengthen security in NE
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday laid the foundation stone of the Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI) in Tripura to strengthen security in the northeastern region and neighbouring countries, and to establish high standards in policing.
Per capita income in BJP-ruled Tripura Rs 1.77 lakh higher than Bengal: HM Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the per capita income in the BJP-ruled Tripura is now Rs 1.77 lakh higher than the neighbouring state of West Bengal (where the Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee is in power).
Peace and development in Tripura, says HM Shah after meeting Reang tribals
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi peace has been established in Tripura, various development works have been stepped up and also the 23-year-old imbroglio of Reang tribals has been resolved.
HM Shah stresses on mapping of demographic data of people along India-Myanmar border
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the demographic data of people along the India-Myanmar border, especially in Nagaland, Mizoram and Manipur, should be mapped so that it can help in fencing of the border and infiltration can be stopped.
Drugs worth Rs 78 crore seized in Tripura, one held
In a major haul, the Assam Rifles in coordination with the other law enforcing agencies on Saturday seized 3.9 lakh methamphetamine tablets valued at around Rs 78 crore and arrested a drug peddler in Tripura, officials said on Saturday.
New Maha Cabinet: Fadnavis keeps Home, Shinde gets Urban Development, Ajit Pawar in charge of Finance
Finally, the wait is over. Governor CP Radhakrishnan on Saturday approved the portfolio allocation to the ministers as recommended by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The list was released after the conclusion of a weeklong winter session.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar brings peace through meditation to UN headquarters consumed by global turmoil
Eighteen minutes of tranquility descended on the world organisation’s headquarters consumed by global turmoil as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar led a meditation session as a path to peace at the United Nations.
NE not just strategically important but also an epitome of nation's diversity, culture: Minister
Union Minister of State for DoNER Sukanta Majumdar on Friday underscored the strategic importance of the northeastern region and said that the region is not just a geographically significant part of the country but it is also an epitome of the nation's diversity, culture, and strategic importance.