A Khalistani outfit, Sikhs for Justice, on Wednesday called a massive siege on the Indian consulate in Vancouver, Canada. They also warned the Indian-Canadians to avoid going to the location for safety reasons. SFJ, the organisation based in the US, threatened consulates across Canada over spy networks being run to target Khalistani supporters.
The group released a statement saying that two years ago, in 2023, the Indian consulate targeted Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and even now, they are running spy networks targeting Khalistanis in Canada. The outfit was banned in 2019 in India, and circulated a poster with the Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik’s face on it, labelled as the target. It read “New face of India’s Hindutva terror in Canada”.
The group further said that they want to hold the Indian Consulate accountable for espionage by holding the siege before the Vancouver consulate. Further reports suggest that the outfit called a siege from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, local time. This sudden siege can lead to worsening relations between India and Canada amidst growing cooperation. While the SFJ declared the siege, the external affairs ministry of the Indian government or the Indian consulate in Vancouver has not commented on it.
Khalistani extremism in Canada is a major issue, and a recent report by the Canadian government showed that the Khalistani supporters were getting aid from people based in Canada. The organisations listed in the report were the International SYF and the Babbar Khalsa International. The report further highlighted that these outfits do not operate directly but hire smaller groups and individuals for their work.
