Canada’s Opposition leader condemns assault on Indo-Canadian journo

Rishi Nagar, News Director of the radio channel Red FM Calgary, was assaulted on Sunday in the city in the province of Alberta.

Nagar told the Hindustan Times, “The pro-Khalistan people attacked me.”

He said the attack followed a report about an incident at the Gurdwara Dashmesh Cultural Centre in Calgary, which led to two Indo-Canadians being arrested on firearms-related charges.

On Wednesday, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre, in a post on X, said he was “horrified by this violent assault” on Nagar. “Glad to hear he is on the road to recovery. Freedom must prevail over fear. Bring home safe streets. I encourage anyone with information on this attack to contact local police,” he added.

Danielle Smith, Premier of Alberta, also posted about the incident, as she said, “I am deeply saddened to hear about the recent attack on Rishi Nagar, a respected journalist and news director at RedFM. In Alberta, we value freedom of the press and the safety of all citizens. Violence and intimidation against anyone, especially those who work tirelessly to inform the public, have no place in our society.”

“My thoughts are with Rishi, his family, and colleagues during this difficult time, and I wish him a full and speedy recovery. Let’s continue to stand together against violence and uphold the values of respect and safety for all,” she added.

Conservative Party MP from Calgary Shuvaloy Majumdar said he was “shocked” to hear about the assault. “This kind of violence has been on the rise under (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau and (New Democratic Party leader) Jagmeet Singh,” he added.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Nagar said, “I want to make one this abundantly clear: I will not be silenced.”

Calgary Police is investigating the assault and looking for two suspects who were caught on CCTV attacking Nagar. The attack appears to have stemmed from a report from RedFM about two persons being arrested at the gurdwara. Gursewak Singh and Sukhpreet Singh were arrested on firearms charges.