A report published by British government-funded Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) says that many Sikhs feel angered by claims made by India's government of growing British and Canadian Sikh terrorism and that “Khalistani” movement has the backing of Pakistan - without any evidence.
The report for the UK government’s independent adviser on extremism found that Sikhs were angry that campaigns to highlight human rights abuses were labelled “Khalistani terrorism” with accusations that they were Pakistani funded — without evidence ever presented publicly by the Indian government.
The report titled “The Changing Nature of Activism among Sikhs in the UK” has been written by Senior Lecturer in Sikh Studies Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal at the Department of Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham and Sunny Hundal a journalist and a writer.
The report, based on research and interviews, found that tensions between Sikhs and Hindus in Britain were rising and were set to get worse with the Sikhs becoming more assertive about their faith identity while playing a bigger role in wider society.
The report analysed in detail why more Sikhs in the West were demanding an independent homeland for Sikhs — called Khalistan — and why the Indian government saw it through the lens of terrorism and extremism. The report further said the Indian govt overlooked the fact that a significant portion of Sikhs came to Britain and Canada in the 80s to escape the Indian government's persecution and were attracted to this idea of ethnonationalism.
Most participants of the survey agreed that Sikhs want a separate homeland because of the injustice they have faced and continue to face.
