RCMP warn Sikh activists in B.C. and Ontario of threats to their lives

RCMP have issued duty-to-warn letters to at least two Canadian Sikh activists, saying their lives face credible, serious and imminent threats connected to their involvement in efforts to establish an independent Sikh state in India.

The notices went to Inderjeet Singh Gosal of Caledon, Ont., and Manjinder Singh of Abbotsford, B.C. Documents obtained by The Canadian Press say police did not identify a threat to their relatives or friends, though those people could be hurt in an attempt on the activists’ lives.

Gosal is the Canadian co-ordinator of non-binding referendums in Sikh communities worldwide on creating an independent state, known as Khalistan, within India. He said he has received several warnings since becoming the lead organizer and has declined police witness protection, saying he will not stop his work because of threats.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the previous Canadian organizer, was shot dead in Surrey in June 2023 in a killing linked to India-based organized crime groups. Sikh activists have alleged that the Indian government was behind Nijjar’s death; India has repeatedly denied that allegation.

Sikh’s for Justice, the group organizing the referendums, says a third organizer in B.C. received a verbal warning from Canadian police. RCMP have not confirmed issuing any of the warnings.