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Canadian Prime Minister Justin had a forgettable visit to India while attending the G20 summit. Not only did this plane malfunction, forcing him to extend his stay, but he also had an awkward meeting with Indian PM Modi, leading to a deterioration of talk between the two countries.
Modi reprimanded Trudeau over the growing protests of Sikh separatists in Canada. He also snubbed a bilateral meeting on the sidelines with the Canadian PM. As he returned home, Canada postponed a trade mission to India. The situation worsened after Trudeau accused the Indian government of ordering the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada, saying they have credible reports that Indian intelligence agencies were involved in assassinating Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Nijjar was a staunch supporter of the Khalistan movement, which envisaged a separate state for the Sikhs. He earned the ire of Indian authorities after holding a referendum for the Sikh movement. Last year, Indian authorities announced a cash reward for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest. He was accused of attacking a Hindu priest and an Interpol arrest warrant was issued. In 2014, he was declared a ‘terrorist’ and a threat to national security. He was shot dead in June this year.
The incident has once again raised the issue of the Khalistan movement. Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside India’s Punjab state. Many of them migrated to Canada after the persecution of Sikhs during the 1980s and early 90s when the Sikh insurgency was at its peak. Many other countries such as the UK also have sizable Sikh populations and have seen protests against the Indian government.
The Indian government launched a brutal crackdown on Sikhs and thousands were killed and tortured. These were triggered by the Blue Operation when Indian forces conducted an operation at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, massacring hundreds. The Sikhs were furious over violating the sanctity of their holiest site. Indian PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated in retribution, making a dark chapter in India’s long history of violence.
Modi’s government has intensified the pursuit of Sikh activists. They are being threatened and openly targeted by the Indian government. Canada needs to conduct a thorough investigation and hold those responsible for the Sikh leader’s arrest while the world needs to take notice of India’s human rights violations against religious minorities.
