By – Prakarsh Kastwar
The threat was made in a video by Gurpatwant Pannun, the legal representative for SFJ, during a diplomatic dispute between India and Canada.
Hindus of Indian descent have been harassed and encouraged to leave Canada by the pro-Khalistan organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which was banned in India in 2019 for “promoting violence” by celebrating the death of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Indo-Hindus emigrate to India from Canada. You not only support India, but you also support the repression of pro-Khalistan Sikhs’ speech and expression, according to Gurpatwant Pannun, legal counsel for SFJ, in a viral video. India has labeled Pannun as a terrorist.
The video came to light as Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, asserted on Monday that there was a “potential link” between Indian government agents and the murder of Nijjar in June, which led to the expulsion of top diplomats on a hit-for-hit basis. Trudeau reiterated that Canada was not attempting to “provoke or escalate” after India on Tuesday rejected his assertion as “absurd and motivated” just hours earlier.
Hindus for Harmony in Canada representative Vijay Jain voiced worry about Pannun’s threat. “We are now witnessing widespread, full-scale Hinduphobia.”
At least a dozen instances of vandalism of temples with graffiti or anti-India posters have been attributed to vandals supposedly connected to the so-called Khalistan referendum in Canada. Hinduphobia is a term that has been proposed for inclusion in the Human Rights Code’s dictionary of terminology to define anti-Hindu prejudice and discrimination. The petition has been pending before the Canadian House of Commons. There are currently close to 9000 signatures on the petition.
Jain claimed that the sentiment may be fueled by Trudeau’s comments about India’s alleged complicity in the killing of Nijjar. “We are concerned that this could result in the loss of Hindu lives in Canada, as it did in 1985.”
Jain was alluding to the June 1985 Khalistani bombing of an Air India flight traveling from Montreal to London to Delhi to Bombay, which claimed the lives of 307 passengers and 22 crew members. The terrorist attack was the worst to ever occur in Canada. The National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism is observed in Canada every year on June 23 in honor of those who perished in the bombing.
Rupa Subramanya, a commentator on social media site X, questioned the lack of response to Pannun’s threat. Imagine the outrage if a white supremacist had threatened that all people of color must leave Canada. But no one bats an eye and turns a blind eye when a Khalistani threatens Hindus in Canada at a gathering there.
SFJ has claimed that the Trudeau administration’s recent decision to cut ties with India has “emboldened” it.
In a commentary published in the national newspaper The Globe and Mail of Canada, Andrew Coyne urged the need to maintain household tranquility in the wake of Nijjar’s murder. Many Sikh Canadians will be shaken by Mr. Nijjar’s murder; some will be furious, and some of them may be inclined to carry out some sort of retaliation. Coyne forewarned that there is a genuine risk of ethnic and sectarian warfare in Canada.
Anita Anand, a Hindu minister from Canada, urged restraint. Anand claimed in a post on X that South Asians and families from India, regardless of faith, will share the idea that Trudeau’s comments on Monday was tough to hear. “Let the legal process proceed as it must at this time. Let’s all maintain our composure, solidarity, and empathy.