Pro-Khalistan group alleges India disrupted secessionist referendum, Canada rejects theory

Eight men were arrested on the day of the Sikh group’s Punjab referendum march in Toronto and a firearm was recovered from their vehicle.

Canadian law enforcement has rebutted claims made by pro-Khalistan separatist group, Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, that armed men violently attempted to disrupt a voter registration drive related to its secessionist programme named Punjab referendum 2020.

The separatist group’s claim of an Indian link to the arrest of armed men on the day of the event was also lapped up by media but was rejected by the Canadian authorities. (HT Photo)

On August 15, as local SFJ activists were proceeding to the Indian consulate in Toronto to conduct the drive, eight men were arrested on a complaint from an unidentified “concerned citizen”, and five were charged with firearms-related offences after a loaded handgun was recovered from their vehicle.

SFJ had alleged that the vehicle was flying the Indian Tricolour and the intent was to sabotage their drive, and this was also reported in local media.

However, Peel regional police has denied there was a political slant to this incident. Asked whether this had any connection to the pro-Khalistan group’s proposed event and the allegations levelled by SFJ, a spokesperson for the PRP said she had “not received information in regards to the persons being ‘Indian agents’.”

In another response to the outlet Indo-Canadian Voice, a different PRP spokesperson said, “There have been comments made by local media outlets referring to threats of a political nature, our investigation did not find this to be so.”

The charges specified by the spokesperson did not relate to threats of the nature that were stated by SFJ.

The men were picked up from a parking lot in the city of Brampton in the Greater Toronto Area and were identified as Simerjit Singh, 23, from Georgetown, Arundeep Sood, 40, from Brampton, Manpreet Singh, 21, who was cited as having no fixed address, Shivampreet Singh, 21, from Brampton and Mehakdeep Maan, 22, from Brampton.

SFJ’s general counsel Gurpatwant Pannun had alleged the men threatened to shoot a local activist belonging to the separatist organisation and termed it as a “wake up call” for the government of Justin Trudeau.

The men were charged by investigators from the 21 division criminal investigation bureau with firearms-related offences. They were released on bail after making an appearance before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.