Operation Bluestar anniversary: SFJ calls for ‘lockdown’ of India’s Canadian missions

SFJ’s general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun has called for the “lockdown” of India’s High Commission in Ottawa and its Consulates in Vancouver and Toronto on June 6, the date on which in 1984, the Indian forces stormed the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar to flush out Khalistani extremists.

The planned protests come at a time when pro-Khalistan elements in Canada are already energised after Canadian prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of SFJ’s principal organiser in the province of British Columbia Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 last year in the town of Surrey.

Four persons, all Indian nationals, have been arrested in recent weeks in connection with the murder, though Canadian law enforcement has yet to substantiate the link to the Indian government, though investigators have said that angle is currently being developed.

Nijjar was considered a terrorist in India but the charges against him were never tested in a Canadian court.

SFJ has also issued a “notice” to the missions warning them of the “picketing” on June 6.

Meanwhile, the NDP has announced that it will seek official recognition of the “Sikh genocide” in November this year, marking the 40th anniversary of the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other parts of India in the aftermath of the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

In a statement on Saturday, the NDP said they “must seek answers, accountability, and justice,” which is why they “will be seeking official recognition of the 1984 Sikh Genocide in Parliament.”

The NDP currently has a formal understanding with Trudeau’s ruling Liberal Party Government and has helped it remain in power despite being in a minority situation since the September 2021 Federal elections.