Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has threatened to attack Hindu temples, including the Ram mandir in Ayodhya, on November 16 and 17, India Today reported on Monday.
In a video released by the United States-based group Sikhs for Justice, Pannun said: “We will shake the foundations of Ayodhya, birthplace of the violent Hindutva ideology.”
It was not immediately clear where and when the video was released.
The video also featured images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi praying at the Ram temple during its inauguration in January, according to India Today.
Sikhs for Justice, founded and headed by Pannun, is designated as a terrorist organisation in India under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Since 2021, Sikhs for Justice has organised several unofficial “referendums” in foreign countries, including Canada, on whether a separate Sikh homeland should be carved out of India.
Pannun’s threat video came days after protests by pro-Khalistan groups during the Indian High Commission’s routine consular camp organised in partnership with the Hindu Sabha Temple in Canada’s Brampton, on November 3.
Videos of the incident circulating on social media show men and women attacking temple visitors with sticks.
The pro-Khalistan groups were met with counter-protests from a group holding Indian flags. Tensions soon escalated and the pro-Khalistan groups were reportedly the first to attack the temple visitors.
Canada is home to several organisations that support the demand for Khalistan, an independent homeland for Sikhs that some seek to carve out of India.
On Friday, the Canadian Police arrested a 35-year-old man, Inderjeet Gosal, for allegedly participating in the violence that broke out at the temple. “He was released on conditions and is to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton at a later date,” the police said.
Gosal is the Khalistan Referendum co-ordinator in Canada for Sikhs for Justice. He is the fourth person to have been arrested in the case.
Pannun’s video message warning of attacks on Hindu temples comes amid a diplomatic spat between India and Canada. Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa escalated after the Canadian government alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, near Vancouver in June 2023.
Nijjar was a supporter of Khalistan and the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, which is designated a terrorist outfit in India.
In October, the United States also charged a former Indian government official with allegedly orchestrating a plot to murder Pannun in New York. The plot was foiled before the Sikhs for Justice founder could be killed.
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