After pro-Khalistan elements distributed posters with the names and images of two Indian diplomats posted in Canada, holding them accountable for the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last month, an alert was issued and the security of key officials at Indian missions in some countries was reviewed.
Threatening to avenge the killing of Nijjar, a designated terrorist who was gunned down by unidentified men in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, the posters named and printed the photographs of India’s high commissioner to Canada Sanjay Verma and consul general in Toronto Apoorva Srivastava.
The government responded angrily to the posters, with foreign minister S Jaishankar announced that India would bring up the matter with Canada and expressed concern that if such actions continued unchecked, it would harm bilateral relations.
Jaishankar said, “We have requested our partner countries like Canada, US, UK and Australia where sometimes Khalistani activities happen, not to give space to the Khalistanis. Because their (Khalistanis) radical, extremist thinking is neither good for us nor them nor our relations.”
“We will raise the issue of posters with those governments. I think it would have already been done by now,” he added. Last week, Jaishankar had blamed vote bank politics for Canada’s reluctance to move against pro-Khalistan elements. Khalistan supporters have also threatened to march to the Indian consulate in Toronto on July 8.
Nijjar, who headed the terrorist outfit Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was shot dead in a targeted killing inside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar’s name had come up in a list released by the government, which named 40 other designated terrorists.