Canada is known to harbor Sikh extremists since decades that have been spreading the fog of terrorism and backlashing the Indian State from Canada. Due to the ballooning terrorist activities hosted by Sikhs in Canada, the citizens of Canada walk precariously each day. Today, Canadian Sikhs account for 1.40% of the Canada’s total population. Kesur Singh, a Major in the British India Army is regarded as the first Sikh settler in Vancouver, Canada, in 1897. In the year 1984, after the attack on the Golden Temple, escaping the persecutions by Indian Government and in search of a new peaceful life, Sikhs started settling in Canada. The Golden Temple in Amritsar was regarded as the most sacred site in Sikhism (Nolen). Since then Canada has been facing the storm that brings havoc and destruction for Canadians.
Operation Blue Star- the attack on the Golden Temple led to immense hatred between the majority Hindu population and the Sikh population that was in the minority. Sikhs demanded an Independent nation, which they named as Khalistan, but Indira Gandhi was determined to stop them (Nolen). It was difficult for them to live in a place where on one hand they were opposed by Hindus every other day and on the other hand they were left unnoticed by the Canadian Government.
In Vancouver, the destruction had already started. Two Sikhs were accounted for entering the Indian Consulate in Vancouver and smashing all the pictures of Indira Gandhi. This was followed by a number of Sikh protesters who blocked the entrance to the Indian Consulate, forcing it to close. They burnt the Indian National Flag along with an effigy of Indira Gandhi. They spent days chanting slogans against Indira Gandhi, forcing her to step down. Soon the Indian Consulate agreed to convey their demands to the Indian Government.
However, the closure of the Consulate did not mark the end to the havoc. A Sikh showed his anger by damaging the Toronto Consulate. Moreover, 700 Sikhs protested in front of the Toronto Consulate, which was similar to the protests at Vancouver Consulate. Alongside the protests, acts of unity ignited between the Canadian Muslims and Sikhs, where participants were attending rallies against the Indian Government.
Following Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her Sikh bodyguards, the Air India Flight 182 was destroyed by a bomb in June 1985 (Buchignani). Boeing 747-237B was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal, Canada-London, UK-Delhi, India route. It was destroyed at an altitude of 31,000 feet, crashing into the Atlantic Ocean and killing a total of 329 people including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 Britons and 24 Indians. The Canadian Law enforcement agency suspected members of Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. Inderjit Singh, despite being a Canadian national was convicted of this destruction. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for being involved in the explosion of Flight 182 and at Narita. This attack marked as one of the most brutal attacks in Canada, affecting hundreds of Canadians (Buchignani).
In 2005, the announcement of Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana’s hanging angered Sikhs in Canada due to which the World Sikh Organisation of Canada called on the United Nations to abolish Rajoana’s death penalty in India. Alongside the release of Kishori Lal resulted in 5000 Sikhs protesting in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada. These are the reasons why there is a backlash against the Indian State in Canada.
References
Nolen, S., & Stueck, W. (2012, November 9). Does Canada harbour Sikh extremists? Retrieved July 13, 2015.
Buchignani, N. (2008, August 28). Sikhism. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
