Ottawa: A Sikh man who housed and fed Khalistani terrorists in India for more than 10 years has been granted entry into Canada, according to a Canadian immigration tribunal. This decision was made because, as reported in the media, he only offered help out of need and out of fear of reprisals.
An Indian citizen named Kamaljit Ram was recently declared inadmissible to enter Canada based on claims that he provided a "safe house" and "logistical support" to Khalistani militants, according to Heidi Worsfold, a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board tribunal. However, Worsfold found that the Canadian government lacked sufficient evidence to support this claim.
The tribunal's verdict affirms that this Sikh individual, who sheltered and provided sustenance to armed Khalistani militants in India for over a decade, should be permitted entry to Canada due to his primary motivation being necessity and a fear of retaliation, according to the newspaper.
The federal government first decided to prevent Ram from entering Canada after he admitted during an interview with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) investigators that he had irregularly housed and fed armed Sikh militants at his farm in India between 1982 and 1992.
He also told officers that he supported the ideas promoted by followers of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant and leading figure of the Khalistani movement, for a separate Khalistan state and “other social issues,” according to the report.
Worsfold concluded that the government's evaluation of Ram's support for the armed militants at that time was overly harsh, failing to acknowledge that he repeatedly stated that he agreed to host these armed individuals because he "feared the consequences" of being on the opposing side of the group.