More than 1,000 vehicles take part in the Khalistan Freedom Car Rally ahead of the Khalistan referendum vote on January 28.
SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON: Pro-Khalistan Sikh for Justice (SFJ) blockaded and laid siege to the Indian consulate in San Francisco, defying India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) team visiting the US, with a float depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi by Satwant Singh and Beat Singh.
Hundreds of SFJ activists participated in the blockade and demonstration. The Khalistan freedom car rally marked the 35th anniversary of the martyrdom of Shaheed Satwant Singh and Shaheed Kehar Singh as they traveled from Berkeley Marina to the Indian consulate in San Francisco, the SFJ said.
With more than 1,000 vehicles, the demonstration began at Marina Berkeley and headed towards the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. The participants radiated enthusiasm as they passionately chanted slogans in support of Khalistan.
The Khalistan Freedom Car Rally, organized by the secessionist group SFJ ahead of the Khalistan referendum vote on January 28 in San Francisco, serves as a stark reminder to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that “violence begets violence,” at a time when according to Indian media reports: an NIA team is currently visiting the US.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel of SFJ, said Modi, who instigated the cycle of violence through the orchestrated murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, must take into account the historical response of Sikhs to the violence unleashed by the Indian state on October 31 . 1984.
Denouncing India’s violent acts, Punnun said: “Modi, who started the cycle of violence by orchestrating the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, must not forget on October 31, 1984 that Sikhs have always responded to violence committed by the Indian State.”
The Khalistan referendum voting campaign is being organized under the supervision of the independent Punjab Referendum Commission (PRC).
Voting began on October 31, 2021 from London, United Kingdom and has so far been held in several cities in the United Kingdom, Geneva, Switzerland, Rome and Milan (Italy), the Australian cities of Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney; and the Canadian cities of Brampton, Mississauga, Malton (Ontario) and Vancouver (British Columbia).
A team of four senior NIA officials is currently visiting the United States to meet FBI officials and discuss cases such as the attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and the extradition of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana. The team is led by a DIG rank officer from the Mumbai branch.
On his Dec. 11-12 visit to India, the first by an FBI director in 12 years, Christopher A. Wray held talks with NIA Director Dinkar Gupta and other central agency officials at its headquarters. .
Ahead of the meeting, NIA officials prepared presentations covering various topics, including cases and evidence against Rana for his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack.
The presentations also addressed the case of American gangster Darmanjot Singh Kahlon, who supplied weapons for an attack on Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, and Khalistan supporters accused of vandalizing the Indian consulate in San Francisco in March last year.
During their meeting at the NIA headquarters, FBI Director Wray engaged in candid discussions covering various topics including the activities of criminal networks organized by terrorists.
The talks also addressed ongoing US investigations related to the attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco, as well as investigations into cyberterrorism and cybercrimes. The FBI assured the NIA that it is aggressively pursuing the investigation into the attack on the San Francisco Consulate.
