LONDON: A prominent Canadian citizen, Khalistani activist and Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), who championed the Khalistan referendum campaign against slain Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has been told by Canadian authorities that his life is in danger from the Indian government of Narendra Modi.
Inderjeet Singh Gosal, coordinator of the Khalistan referendum in Canada, said Ontario Provincial Police visited his home in Brampton, Ont., to notify him that he was the subject of a “duty to warn” notice issued by Canadian intelligence when the threat level is extremely high.
Gosal is one of the closest associates following Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, General Counsel of Sikhs For Justice during his travels and attendance at Khalistan referendum voting events in Canada.
He took on the role of Canada coordinator from Nijjar after the Sikh activist was allegedly killed by Indian intelligence last year outside Canada's largest gurdwara.
Since he was not home at the time, an officer later called him to tell him he was at risk and to be vigilant and report anything suspicious, Gosal confirmed to Geo News over the phone.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly linked Nijjar's June 18, 2023, killing to agents of the Indian government, which opposes the Khalistan separatist campaign and has branded Nijjar a terrorist.
SFJ founder and New York-based attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in a statement on X: “While the FBI and California Highway Patrol (CHP) are actively investigating the August 11 attempted murder of Satinder Pal Singh Raju, an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) performed a ‘duty to warn’ on another Khalistan referendum activist, Inderjeet Singh Gosal in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, citing heightened threat to his life.”
“On the night of August 22–23, OPP officers contacted Gosal, who had been actively organizing events for the Khalistan referendum vote in Canada, warning him of an increased threat to his safety and advising him to remain vigilant. In early February 2024, Gosal’s home was the subject of a “drive-by shooting” that was immediately celebrated on X by accounts promoting Modi’s violent Hindutva ideology and calling for the murder of pro-Khalistan Sikhs in Canada and the United States.
Pannun said: “The Modi regime’s transnational repression cannot shake the resolve of Sikh sovereignists to create a Sikh homeland, Khalistan, in Indian-occupied Punjab. Regimes from Gandhi’s to Modi’s have committed genocidal violence against Sikhs, but Indian violence has failed to stop them from campaigning for the right to self-determination. The Trudeau government must hold the Indian High Commissioner accountable for creating a spy network that monitors pro-Khalistan activists and orchestrated Nijjar’s murder.”
Gosal, who was undeterred by the mounting threats and the “duty to warn” of Canadian security officials, said: “Canadian officials have warned me of threats to my life, but my resolve to work for the liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation remains firm. The Modi government cannot prevent the Khalistan referendum vote by killing or threatening activists.”
Gosal said he believed the Indian government was behind the threat to his life.
“I am coordinating all the referendums in Canada, taking over after Mr Nijjar,” Gosal said. “I thought I was safe here in a beautiful country like Canada, but it is clear that India is not letting up.”
Under Modi's leadership, India has been accused of engaging in transnational repression and assassination plots aimed at silencing pro-Khalistan voices. Canadian police believe Indian agents linked to the Indian intelligence service RAW have been hiring organized crime to carry out the killings.
Pannun was also the target of a foiled assassination plot allegedly orchestrated by Indian intelligence on direct orders from Modi.
Meanwhile, the FBI has confirmed it is investigating the August 11 incident in Northern California in which five shots were fired at the vehicle of Satinder Pal Singh Raju, an organizer of the Khalistan referendum in the United States.
“We recognize that a person who has been served with a ‘duty to warn’ may choose to make this information public, however, that does not alleviate the RCMP’s responsibility to maintain the privacy of the person who has received such a warning,” said the RCMP’s Ontario office, which issued a warning to Gosal.
Gosal was also a close friend of Nijjar, who he said was “like a brother to me.”
In May, four suspects with alleged links to the Indian RAW were arrested in Edmonton and Brampton for the murder of Nijjar. The RCMP is still investigating the Indian government's involvement.
