Amritsar: In a collective statement, members of the Panth Sewak collective said that revelations by the Canadian Prime Minister regarding India’s role in the murder of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar further demonstrate the ongoing use of extrajudicial killings by the Indian state.
Members of the collective stated that this revelation demonstrates the pervasive nature–and international dimensions–of the Sikh genocide. The statement by the Canadian government further corroborates the fact that the Indian state is carrying out assassinations of influential Sikh figures in the diaspora who raise their voice for Azadi (liberation).
This revelation is a welcome step which has unmasked India’s strategy of eliminating Sikh leadership. The fact that the revelation was made personally by the Prime Minister within Parliament itself increased the gravity of his statement, and made India’s extrajudicial and anti-Sikh policies known to the entire world. Authorities should thoroughly investigate the activities of Indian agencies in Canada more broadly, including prior knowledge or involvement in the murder of Ripudamin Singh Malik in any form.
Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an advocate for the right to self-determination and mobilized Sikhs around the world for this cause. Bhai Nijjar’s murder was a clear attempt to repress and bury this right. Guru Sahib has bestowed patshahi upon the Khalsa Panth, and freedom and self-determination are our basic rights by birth. Even within the confines of other political structures, pursuing self-determination, freedom, and Sikh sovereignty are not prohibited by international law or the UN Charter. The Indian government will never be able to restrict these basic rights exercised by Sikhs.
Bhai Nijjar’s murder is an example of international state terrorism, and each action targeting Sikhs around the world is a terrorist act, violating even the most basic international norms. The international community has a moral duty to pursue each individual responsible for these crimes and hold them accountable. Based on the intelligence gathered by the Canadian government, every foreign government which has seen Sikh activists murdered must ensure a transparent investigation holds the Indian state for these crimes and grave violations of basic principles of justice and international law.
Similar revelations by Australia’s Queensland police that local members of a Brisbane mandir were themselves responsible for various acts of vandalism further demonstrate that the Indian state has hatched these conspiracies to try and demonize Sikhs around the world. Similar to it domestic strategy, Hindutva forces are trying to demonize and isolate Sikhs around the world so they can target them without challenge. In order to confront this strategy–and bring it to an end–Sikhs around the world must establish clear institutional coordination amongst themselves. By continuing to demonstrate our Gurmat principles and panthic traditions of sarbat da bhala, and boldly articulating our vision for Khalsa Raj, we can effectively combat Hindutva forces and exposes India’s empty claims of secularism.