Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a attorney with Sikhs For Justice, mentioned he fears Sikhs would possibly come to a decision to take it upon themselves to protect their group.
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After a capturing Thursday centered the house of an affiliate of Hardeep Nijjar, a gaggle advocating for Sikh independence says it’s involved a loss of coverage from Canadian government may just see participants of B.C.’s Sikh group take issues into their very own fingers.
Surrey RCMP mentioned the remoted capturing on Feb. 1 at 1:21 a.m. took place when an unknown suspect fired on the house within the 2800 block of 154th Side road.
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“We’re running to decide the reason,” Sgt. Tammy Lobb mentioned in a remark Friday.
Contributors of Surrey’s Sikh group imagine the capturing is connected to Indian international interference for the reason that centered house belongs to Nijjar’s shut buddy Simranjeet Singh, in keeping with Moninder Singh, spokesman of the B.C. Gurdwaras Council.
Nijjar was once president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and were organizing an unofficial referendum for an unbiased Sikh state in India’s Punjab province when he was once gunned down in the parking zone of the gurdwara June 18. The government believes Nijjar’s assassination was once performed by way of brokers of the Indian executive, even supposing India denies involvement.
“Simranjeet has no felony file or the rest however is understood for the pro-Khalistani activism paintings he does and for being an in depth buddy of Nijjar’s. He’s a volunteer on the identical Surrey gurdwara,” Moninder Singh mentioned.
On the time of Thursday’s capturing, Simranjeet Singh — a tender father — had simply arrived house.
Moninder Singh mentioned Simranjeet’s six-year-old son was once asleep in his mattress when the pictures fired into the house narrowly ignored the teenager.
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“The pictures went thru his son’s headboard … it simply brings again the truth that some Sikhs are at risk.”
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a attorney with Sikhs For Justice, mentioned he fears Sikhs would possibly come to a decision to take it upon themselves to protect their group.
“They must no longer solution or reply with violence — in any respect,” mentioned Pannun. “On the other hand, every time Sikhs are attacked, they have got a historical past of shielding their group and religion, combating teeth and nail.”
Pannun mentioned the Sikh friends of Nijjar are being passed “accountability to warn” letters by way of Canadian intelligence officials.
Pannun is significant of such notices.
“The federal government has a constitutional accountability to give protection to the lifetime of all electorate, issuing notices to imaginable sufferers just isn’t sufficient,” he mentioned.
One in every of Nijjar’s two sons, Balraj, mentioned that within the months sooner than Nijjar was once murdered, Canadian intelligence officials warned his father to steer clear of being noticed in public and attending the gurdwara.
After Nijjar’s assassination, Premier David Eby confident electorate the province would take part within the homicide investigation, and that if some other electorate have been discovered to be underneath risk they might be secure.
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In June, Eby known as at the federal executive to offer all data associated with international interference and “transnational arranged crime threats,” so the province can offer protection to electorate in danger.
Someone with additional information, together with dashcam or CCTV photos, is requested to name police at 604-599-0502.
— With recordsdata from the Canadian Press
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