Khalistanis Vow to Take Over Indian Consulate in Vancouver
Sikhs for Justice Siege Threat: Khalistanis Separatists Plan 12-Hour Blockade of Indian Consulate
Khalistanis: In a development that has stirred fresh diplomatic tensions, the US-based Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has issued an alarming siege threat against the Indian Consulate in Vancouver, even as India and Canada attempt to rebuild their strained diplomatic ties. The group has announced plans to “take over” the consulate this Thursday, warning Indo-Canadians to avoid visiting the premises on that day.
In a viral public notice released on social media, SFJ said it would stage a 12-hour “siege” beginning 8 am local time on September 18, branding it a “historic act” to demand accountability for what it calls Indian state-led “espionage and intimidation” on Canadian soil.
The notice specifically cautioned, “Indo-Canadians planning routine visits to the Vancouver Indian Consulate on 18 September are advised to refrain and choose another date.”
Khalistanis: Targeting Indian Diplomats
In a provocative move, SFJ also circulated a poster featuring Dinesh K Patnaik, India’s newly appointed High Commissioner to Canada, with a target symbol superimposed on his face. The text below the image labelled him as the “new face of India’s Hindutva terror in Canada.”
The group alleged that Indian consulates across Canada are covertly operating “spy networks” to monitor Khalistani activists. In its statement, SFJ referenced Justin Trudeau’s September 2023 remarks in the Parliament of Canada, where he claimed Indian agents were being investigated for their alleged role in the killing of pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Two years on, Indian consulates continue to run a spy network and surveillance targeting Khalistan Referendum campaigners,” SFJ alleged.
RCMP Protection for Khalistani Leader
SFJ further claimed that the threat against its members was so grave that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had to place Inderjeet Singh Gosal, a key coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum campaign, under witness protection. Gosal reportedly assumed leadership after Nijjar’s death. Notably, he was previously arrested in connection with a violent attack on a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area.
The group has positioned the planned siege as a show of resistance and a call for “accountability” from Indian officials allegedly involved in covert operations.
Khalistanis: Background – Thaw in India-Canada Relations
The threat comes at a sensitive moment, as both nations have only recently taken steps to repair relations that deteriorated sharply after Trudeau’s accusations in 2023. India had dismissed the claims as “absurd,” and the fallout saw six Indian diplomats withdrawn from Canada and a reciprocal expulsion of Canadian envoys from India.
In a symbolic step toward normalisation, India has now appointed Dinesh K Patnaik as its High Commissioner to Canada, while Christopher Cooter has been named Canada’s new envoy to India.
Canada’s Own Alarm on Khalistani Extremism
Earlier this month, an internal Canadian government report acknowledged that extremist Khalistani groups — including Babbar Khalsa International and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), both listed as terrorist organisations under Canada’s Criminal Code — are receiving financial support from networks inside Canada. The report warned that these groups now operate in smaller, loosely connected cells, making them harder to monitor and disrupt.
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