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24-09-2023
OTTAWA: A row between Canada and India over the murder of a Sikh separatist has stoked talk of political friction among some Sikhs and Hindus in the diaspora, though others say it’s overblown.
After Trudeau’s public accusation on Monday that India may have been behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, a clip surfaced on social media showing the head of a US-based Sikh separatist group calling for Hindu Canadians to return to India.
“Indo-Canadian Hindus, you have repudiated your allegiance to Canada and the Canadian constitution,” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, head of Sikhs for Justice, in a video that was reportedly filmed on 12 September.
“Your destination is India. Leave Canada. Go to India,” he said.
The video of Pannun, a dual Canadian-US citizen who was a friend of Nijjar, was widely shared online and in Indian media.
It caught the attention of Chandra Arya, a Liberal member of Canada’s parliament.
“I have heard from many Hindu-Canadians who are fearful after this targeted attack,” Arya, a Hindu, wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Arya said he believed the comments were made to “divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada”. He declined to comment to the BBC.
The exchange laid bare apparent divisions within the Indian diaspora, which Canada’s bombshell allegation has done little to alleviate. India denies orchestrating Nijjar’s murder.
Tensions were up in the wake of Nijjar’s murder. His supporters staged protests across Canada in the wake of his killing, accusing India of being behind his death.
Those demonstrations faced counter-protests from supporters of the Indian government. Posters for the event, which labelled Indian diplomats as “killers”, were denounced by New Delhi officials.
India has also spoken out about vandalism targeting Hindu temples in Canada with “anti-India graffiti”.
Nijjar was a vocal advocate for the creation of a separate homeland for Sikhs Khalistan in the Indian state of Punjab. India has strongly opposed the Khalistan movement, and labelled Nijjar as a terrorist.
In an interview with the BBC, Pannun said his remarks did not intend to target all Hindus, but rather those who align with the interests of the Indian government, which he said happens to be majority Hindu.
Indo-Canadians who spoke to the BBC said that while their community was taken aback by Canada’s allegations, they have not experienced threats to their safety or heightened tensions day-to-day.
Canada has a large Indo-Canadian population with deep ties to both countries. There are 1.86m residents of Indian descent in Canada, with diverse religious and socio-economic backgrounds.
Ranbir Grewal, a tech professional in Toronto whose family is Sikh, said his social group is a mix of Hindu and Sikh Canadians all of whom denounce remarks that Hindu Canadians must leave Canada. (BBC)
