Sikhs for Justice, a US-based Khalistani outfit, has reportedly announced a 12-hour “siege” on the Indian Consulate in Canada’s Vancouver on Thursday. The group has urged Indo-Canadians not to visit the Consulate on September 18.
"Pro-Khalistan Sikhs Shaheed Nijjar will lay a historic SIEGE of the Consulate to demand accountability for Indian state-directed espionage and intimidation on Canadian soil," said a statement purportedly issued by the outfit.
A statement has accused the Indian consulates in the country of running a spy network and surveillance against Khalistanis, reported NDTV.
"Two years ago—18 September 2023—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that the Indian agents' role was under investigation in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Two years on, Indian Consulates continue to run a spy network and surveillance targeting Khalistan Referendum campaigners," it said.
The group also released a poster with the image of the new Indian high commissioner, Dinish Patnaik, showing a target on his face.
The fresh threat comes weeks after India and Canada appointed new high commissioners to each other’s countries, in a step to restore ties strained by the killing of Nijjar, a Khalistani extremist, in 2023. Nijjar was shot dead by two gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver in June 2023.
Canada had alleged the role of Indian agents in the murder and expelled the then high commissioner, along with several other diplomats. New Delhi rejected Ottawa’s allegations and, in a tit-for-tat move, ordered out six senior Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner.
New Delhi also rejected Trudeau's previous allegations that India was engaging in activities, including carrying out covert operations targeting Canadian nationals in his country.
New Delhi has been accusing Canada of providing shelter to Sikh separatists.