Washington, DC – There is a global backlash against the Khalistan movement, which is propagated by a handful of people, under the banner of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) according to reports received here over the last few months.
The latest is an ugly incident at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Surrey, BC Canada where Hardip Singh Nijjar, President of the gurdwara was involved in a brawl. Nijjar is also a frontline activist of the 20/20 Khalistan Referendum movement and one of the main proponents of SFJ in Canada.
Speaking to IAT, Sukhi Chahal, CEO and chairman of California-based JDS Unified LLC said: “In a May 28, 2020 tweet, one of my latest questions put to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, self-styled Legal Adviser of so-called “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) was to comment on the recent reported fight between Hardeep Nijjar and others at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Surrey, BC Canada.”
Chahal said, “Hardeep Nijjar is learnt to be a ‘proclaimed Offender’ and a wanted criminal in India. In a viral video a few years back, he was seen along with others firing with dangerous weapons and running a training camp near Mission in B.C. with a mission to carry out strikes in Punjab. Nijjar was on the list of wanted persons shared by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during their meeting in Amritsar in February 2018. Capt Amarinder Singh urged Trudeau not to play with fire by allowing such elements to use Canadian territory to disrupt India’s peace and stability and also warned that allowing such elements would be detrimental to Canada’s own safety and security in the long run.
Hardeep Nijjar is current President of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Surrey, BC Canada. He is also the President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society, Surrey BC executive committee 2019-2021.
“I fail to understand why such criminals are at all allowed to enter other countries and granted asylums as in Nijjar’s case. How do such criminals manage to occupy important positions of Gurdwaras abroad?” asked Chahal.
Highlighting the motives behind such activities, Chahal said, “It seems that these people try to make their asylum claims strong by shouting against their own motherland India. They are obviously aided by anti-India forces such as The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan. Their other aim is to control Sikh religious places so as to have public money at their disposal not just for survival but to misuse it in a way they want.”
“Nijjar is also said to be SFJ’s main representative in Canada appointed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. It’s obvious that only those who believe in promoting violence, disharmony and hatred in society are appointed to represent SFJ. Why? Perhaps to instill fear among civil and innocent people,” disclosed Chahal to IAT.
Elaborating on the incident, Chahal said, “As the information suggests, the said fight on May 22 with Nijjar is caused by his dictatorial way as he was also planning to collect hundreds of thousands of Canadian Dollars by ferrying Canadian stranded in Punjab on unauthorized charter flights during lockdown period. They had selected Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Surrey, BC where Nijjar is President as a fund collection center and funds were collected. The sole aim for his doing so is said to be enhancing his personal popularity using offerings of the ‘sangat’ at Gurdwara. Further detail about these Bring Canadians Home from Punjab campaign is available at: https://www.facebook.com/bringbackcanadians & https://canpun.ca
Going down memory lane, Chahal said: “This also reminds of The Gurdwara Reform Movement (Gurdwara Sudhar Lehr) of 1920 when agitations were held to wrest control of Gurdwaras from Udasi Mahants (clergymen). I feel repetition of such a movement today should be launched to free our sacred places from criminals.”
According to media reports from the Northern Indian state of Punjab, a group of youth workers in the village Gill, burnt an effigy of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, founder and posterboy of “Sikhs for Justice.”
The effigy burning of Pannun took place under the aegis of Harpreet Singh Meeka, Sarpanch of the village Gill (Ludhiana) as Meeka was quoted as saying that Pannu is collecting money on the name of Khalistan and misleading the youth of Punjab for Referendum 20/20. Mikka also condemned Pannun for burning the Indian flag and constitution of India.
In a similar incident in January on the 71st Republic Day of India in the US, the members of the Shri Guru Ravi Dass Sabha of New York expressed strong resentment and opposition to the attempted burning of the Indian Constitution in different parts of the world by “Sikhs for Justice.”
That episode started when Pannun, Legal Advisor of Sikhs for Justice, made a video viral, announcing an intent to burn the Indian National Flag, the Tricolor, and the Indian Constitution on India’s Republic Day in front of various Government of India Missions across the globe, including the US.
On learning this, Ashok Mahi, President of Shri Guru Ravi Dass Sabha of New York contacted Sikhs For Justice and requested them “not to burn the Indian Constitution” as it will hurt the feelings of his community.
However, Sikhs for Justice went ahead with its attempted burning of the Indian Constitution, which has hurt the feelings of the community, Mahi said.
To express their resentment and anger over the attempted burning of the Indian Constitution, Mahi said that the members decided to denounce the move and burn the effigies of Pannun, whom they feel is the leading force behind the move.
The aforementioned are just a tip of the iceberg which is rising resentments in Sikh religious places against the handful of vested interests under the leadership of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun who is legal advisor for Sikhs for Justice, an organization which supports a secessionist movement of Khalistan – a separate Sikh state from India – has a legal practice which helps illegals entering the US to fight here for legalization.