Danger of protest by Khalistan supporters on 26th January! India asks Canada for additional security at embassy

Ahead of Republic Day celebrations at Indian missions in Canada, New Delhi has asked Ottawa to ensure security at its diplomatic premises on January 26 due to the threat of protests by pro-Khalistan elements. India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, said that we have made Canadian authorities aware of the need for security at the Indian High Commission and Consulates. This will be the first time that national ceremonies, including flag-hoisting ceremonies, will be held at the missions, since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the House of Commons on September 18 that there were credible allegations of possible links between Indian agents. The killing of Khalistan supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, considered a terrorist in India, in Surrey, British Columbia on 18 June.

There has been a security concern since the demonstration at the High Commission following the arrest of Waris Punjab D leader Amritpal Singh in March last year. On March 23, 2023, protesters crossed the street where the High Commission is located and shook its fence and used two flash bangs near the perimeter. The National Investigation Agency had subsequently filed a charge sheet in June, naming Amritpal Singh’s brother-in-law Amarjot Singh for leading the protest where smoke bombs were thrown at the High Commission. While the Ottawa Police Service investigated the incident, no arrests were reported.

Since Nijjar’s murder, the separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has also intensified its rhetoric against Indian officials in Canada. They used posters with the word ‘wanted’ below the photographs and names of India’s most senior diplomats in Canada – its High Commissioner in Ottawa and Consul General in Vancouver and Toronto.