On the heels of the murder of Sikh-Canadian leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder by Indian agents, it has been revealed that more Sikhs are facing threats in Canada and US. The brutal murder of Nijjar, who advocated for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan, has prompted revelations from fellow Sikh activists that police warned them of threats to their own lives in the wake of his death.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files

VANCOUVER – On the heels of the murder of Sikh-Canadian leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder by Indian agents, it has been revealed that more Sikhs are facing threats in Canada and US.

The brutal murder of Nijjar, who advocated for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan, has prompted revelations from fellow Sikh activists that police warned them of threats to their own lives in the wake of his death.

Nijjar was shot to death in Surrey, B.C., on June 18. Three months later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an explosive allegation when he said Ottawa believed the Indian government had involvement in Nijjar’s killing.

India publicly denied any involvement, prompting deteriorating relations between the two countries. But both Canada and US say they have intelligence that Indian diplomats and agents were behind Nijjar’s killing.

Since then, stories have emerged from Sikh activists in Canada and the U.S. who say law enforcement officials warned them they were in danger after Nijjar was killed. The suspected source of the threats wasn’t identified, reported CBC News.

In Canada, Gurmeet Singh Toor — described as a close associate of Niijar — was notified in late August that his life could be in jeopardy. After Niijar’s death, Toor began actively campaigning to secure votes in a non-binding vote in B.C. in support of an independent Sikh state, also known as Khalistan.  

Toor recently confirmed the information to CBC News. He said the warning has left him worried for his safety and hyper-vigilant of his surroundings.

Pritpal Singh, an activist who lives in California, received his warning in the days following Nijjar’s death via a phone call from the FBI.

The call was brief and conveyed there was “a danger to your life,” Singh told CBC News in a recent interview. 

He later met with two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, who repeated the warning and advised him to keep security top of mind.

Agents did not say where the threat originated, Singh said. He added: “We have no enmity locally or anything like that.” 

According to a story published by The Guardian, New York-based journalist Amarjit Singh also received an FBI warning days after Nijjar’s death. 

These stories have caught the attention of some U.S. legislators who want answers about what happened in Canada and the threats their own citizens may be facing.

“I’m concerned by reports that India’s government is targeting Sikh activists abroad,” Rep. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, posted earlier this week on X, formerly Twitter.

Swalwell said he would work with relevant officials “to ensure necessary actions are undertaken to protect the Sikh community.”

David Valadao, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has signalled support for the Canadian government and the need to fully investigate the killing of Nijjar.

Pritpal Singh wants the U.S. government to support its neighbour to the north “to dig it up” — get at the truth of what happened to Nijjar on Canadian soil.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Indian counterpart, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Washington last Thursday, where the Niijar case was raised.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said Friday that Blinken had urged India to co-operate with Canada’s investigation into Nijjar’s death.