Khalistani outfit SFJ issues threat to ‘siege’ Indian consulate in Vancouver, targets envoy

The outfit announced it will stage a 12-hour siege of the Indian consulate starting at 8 a.m. Thursday local time.

As India and Canada move to restore diplomatic engagement, the US-based Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), on Wednesday, threatened to “siege” the Indian Consulate in Vancouver.

The group, in its statement shared on microblogging site X, urged Indians and Indo-Canadians to avoid visiting the consulate and circulated a poster targeting India’s new High Commissioner to Ottawa, Dinesh Patnaik.

The outfit announced it will stage a 12-hour siege of the Indian consulate starting at 8 a.m. Thursday local time.

In its statement, the group recalled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s September 2023 remarks in Parliament, saying, “Two years ago -- 18 September 2023 -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that the Indian agents' role was under investigation in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Two years on, Indian consulates continue to run a spy network and surveillance targeting Khalistan Referendum campaigners.”

SFJ said the action is aimed at demanding “accountability for espionage and intimidation on Canadian soil.”

The Khalistani outfit further noted, “The threat to us was so grave that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had to offer witness protection to Inderjeet Singh Gosal, who assumed leadership of the Khalistan Referendum campaign after Nijjar's death.”

“The siege is our way to demand accountability,” SFJ said in its statement.

Notably, the latest threat comes days after a Canadian government report formally acknowledged the presence of Khalistani extremist groups and their role in terror financing from Canadian soil.

The Department of Finance report, on September 6, had flagged that several entities, including Babbar Khalsa, the International Sikh Youth Federation, and SFJ, continue to raise funds for politically motivated violence.

According to the report, these groups allegedly finance their activities through charitable donations, drug trafficking, vehicle thefts, and contributions from expatriate communities. It further warned of the misuse of Canada’s non-profit sector for terror funding.

While the Khalistani presence in Canada has long been documented through videos, media reports, and witness statements, Ottawa’s recent admission was the first time the government has formally recognised their financial activities.