Canada’s renewed effort to rebuild diplomatic and trade relations with India is being overshadowed by alarming warnings of renewed assassination plots targeting Sikh activists on Canadian soil.
Inderjeet Singh Gosal, a 36-year-old Brampton-based activist and lead organizer of the Khalistan referendum campaign in Canada, told Global News that RCMP national security officers have warned him twice in recent weeks that there is credible intelligence of a plan to kill him. Gosal said investigators told him that suspected hitmen “are here and ready to take me out.”
While police offered him a form of witness protection, Gosal refused, saying stepping back would silence his activism. “This campaign requires me to be out so I can get the community to come to vote. Staying low is not an option,” he said.
Gosal took over the leadership of the Khalistan movement in Canada after Hardeep Singh Nijjar — president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C. — was assassinated in 2023. Canada publicly accused the Indian government of orchestrating Nijjar’s killing, triggering a diplomatic standoff and tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats.
Despite that unprecedented allegation, Prime Minister Mark Carney has sought to normalize relations with New Delhi, appointing a new high commissioner to India and even inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta earlier this year. Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand called the appointment part of a “step-by-step approach” to rebuild trust and expand bilateral cooperation.
But Sikh organizations say Carney’s outreach has coincided with a fresh wave of “duty-to-warn” notices to activists, suggesting the threat environment has not improved. “Members of the Sikh community are facing a growing number of duties-to-warn, with new notices being issued and previously-issued ones being renewed,” said Balpreet Singh of the World Sikh Organization of Canada. “This is a clear sign that India is still pursuing targets in Canada for assassination.”
CSIS has repeatedly warned that Indian officials and their proxies have engaged in operations to influence Canadian politics and intimidate diaspora activists. Last year, RCMP revealed evidence linking Modi’s government to organized crime figures — including members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang — to carry out attacks in Canada.
New Delhi has denied involvement, accusing Ottawa of harbouring “terrorists” and failing to crack down on Sikh separatist networks.
The resumption of diplomatic ties is being viewed with suspicion by Sikh-Canadian groups, who argue Canada must demand accountability from India before deepening economic relations. “Then what was the last two years for?” asked Moninder Singh of the Sikh Federation Canada, who has also received multiple police warnings. “What has tangibly happened to say that Sikhs in Canada, and all Canadians, are safe from India’s violent campaign?”
Community leaders are urging Ottawa to add the Bishnoi gang to Canada’s list of terrorist entities and ensure proper police protection for those under threat.
For now, Gosal remains defiant. He is pressing ahead with preparations for a symbolic Khalistan referendum event scheduled for November 23 in Ottawa, despite the mounting risk. “They can try to intimidate us, but we won’t stop,” he said.
Courtsey The Global News