{"id":174764,"date":"2026-08-19T22:31:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T22:31:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/174764\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T22:31:24","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T22:31:24","slug":"two-sikh-activists-warned-by-rcmp-of-threat-for-trying-to-create-independent-state-in-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/174764\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Sikh activists warned by RCMP of threat for trying to create independent state in India"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

People protest in support of Khalistan outside of the Triveni Mandir Hindu temple in Brampton, Ont., April 5.Arlyn McAdorey\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

RCMP have issued \u201cduty to warn\u201d letters to at least two Canadian Sikh activists, telling them their lives are under threat for their involvement in trying to create an independent Sikh state in India. <\/p>\n

Police have issued the notices to Inderjeet Singh Gosal of Caledon, Ont., and Manjinder Singh from Abbotsford, B.C., telling them there are credible, serious and imminent threats against their lives, although they couldn\u2019t provide more details. <\/p>\n

The documents, obtained by The Canadian Press, say that while there\u2019s no threat against their family or friends, those people could be hurt during any attempt on their lives. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou may be putting yourself at risk if you spend time in any residence, vehicle or location frequented by those who engage in a criminal lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gosal is the Canadian co-ordinator of non-binding referendums being held in Sikh communities around the world, asking if they want an independent Sikh state \u2013 known as Khalistan \u2013 within India.<\/p>\n

Gosal said in an interview from Caledon on Tuesday that the movement is peaceful and does not condone violence, adding that the threats will not change plans for the next referendum to be held in Edmonton in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me to stop doing what I\u2019m doing, which is impossible, the threats are going to come,\u201d Gosal said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know what I signed up for,\u201d he said. \u201cIt wouldn\u2019t abide by what I stand for, and running and hiding is not what I do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indian man charged with orchestrating foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist pleads guilty<\/a><\/p>\n

The form letter from police to both men asked them to check yes or no, indicating if they understand the circumstances. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do not want police assistance, we suggest you take appropriate and legal precautions for yourself, family and friends.\u201d <\/p>\n

The previous Canadian organizer, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was gunned down in Surrey, B.C., in June, 2023 in a killing that has been linked to India-based organized crime groups.<\/p>\n

In July, the U.S. State Justice Department announced the arrest of 24 suspects around the world linked to offences by India-based crime groups, including Nijjar\u2019s assassination outside the Sikh gurdwara he led before his death.<\/p>\n

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who\u2019s in prison in India, has been charged with ordering Nijjar\u2019s killing.<\/p>\n

Sikh activists have accused the government of India to be behind Nijjar\u2019s death, an accusation that India has repeatedly denied.<\/p>\n

The relationship between Canada and India unravelled after the Nijjar\u2019s murder, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons in 2023 that \u201cagents of the Indian government\u201d had been linked to the killing.<\/p>\n

The row led to both sides expelling each other\u2019s diplomats.<\/p>\n

Current Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta last summer, reasoning that India is among the world\u2019s largest economies and remains a key player in global supply chains.<\/p>\n

The group organizing the Canadian referendums, Sikh\u2019s for Justice, said a third organizer in B.C. received a verbal warning from Canadian police.<\/p>\n

The RCMP did not confirm any of the warnings. <\/p>\n

The form letters from police to both men asked them to check yes or no to indicate if they understand the circumstances. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do not want police assistance, we suggest you take appropriate and legal precautions for yourself, family and friends.\u201d <\/p>\n

Gosal said he has received several of the warning since becoming the lead organizer, and police have repeatedly offered witness protection to keep him safe.<\/p>\n

He says he has turned down all of those offers, although he wrote in on the \u201cduty to warn\u201d letter to police that he would like to know more about the threats. <\/p>\n

\u201cI will continue to do exactly what Hardeep Singh Nijjar did,\u201d he said Tuesday. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if the bullet is the ending for me, I\u2019m glad to take that bullet. But nothing will stop me from this campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: People protest in support of Khalistan outside of the Triveni Mandir Hindu temple…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,361],"class_list":["post-174764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-pleasemod"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}