TORONTO: Months after the killing of a Khalistan activist, another Sikh activist was allegedly warned by law enforcement about threats to his life.
According to Canadian media, a newly disclosed outlet titled “Duty to warn” is addressed to Gurmeet Singh Toor and was made public by the pro-Khalistan activist group Sikhs For Justice.
Speaking through a translator, Toor confirmed to a Canadian media outlet that police in Surrey, British Colombia, and the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) came to his home and issued the warning on Aug. 24.
“Police have determined by way of one or more investigative avenues that your life may be in peril,” the document reads in part. “At this time we are unable to provide you with specific details of the threat.”
Sikhs for Justice said in a written statement that Toor is a senior member of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, and was a “close associate” of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside that Sikh temple on June 18.
The statement said that after Nijjar’s high-profile killing, Toor began actively campaigning to secure votes in a non-binding vote in in support of an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.
Toor said that upon delivering the document, RCMP asked him what activities he was involved in, but that officers declined to provide him with more details about the alleged threats. He said since the warning he has been worried for his safety and remains hyper-vigilant of his surroundings.
READ MORE: FBI warns Sikhs in US about death threats after Canadian activist’s brutal killing
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was a supporter of a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistan state. He had been branded by the Indian government as a “terrorist” and was accused of leading a militant separatist group — something his supporters have denied.
The document was issued to Toor weeks before Justin Trudeau made a bombshell statement that Canada was pursuing “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s murder.
Trudeau said Canada’s national security apparatus has reason to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of Nijjar, who also served as the president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. The Indian government has denied any involvement in Nijjar’s death.
In the aftermath, relations between the two nations continue to deteriorate. Both have expelled senior diplomats and late last week India suspended visa services for Canadians. Scheduled trade talks had already been called off. No arrests have been made in Nijjar’s death and authorities say the investigation is ongoing.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada, a group that represents Sikh interests, said Nijjar spoke of “threats to his life” before his alleged murder, and claimed he was being targeted by India’s intelligence agencies. The WSO said “several other Canadian Sikhs are also understood to be under threat” and are on Indian “hit lists.”
