India’s envoy to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, was heckled by a group of Khalistani extremsist at the Hicksville Gurudwara in New York’s Long Island. Sandhu had gone to the gurudwara to offer prayers on Gurpurab. The entire incident was caught on camera. Video of Taranjit Singh Sandhu heckled in US Gurudwara In the video, pro-Khalistanis were voicing support for Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, both labelled terrorists by India. Shouting in Punjabi, Khalistani protesters accused Sandhu of plotting the assassination of Nijjar and “conspiring” to get Pannun killed. In the video, Sandu is seen telling the protesters that he is visiting the gurudwara for seva (service), but the situation escalated, forcing him to leave quickly. The video showed others present in the gurudwara trying to defuse the situation. Sharing the video on X, formerly Twitter, BJP National Spokesperson RP Singh said, “Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS with baseless Questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign.” “Himmat Singh who led the pro Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused ambassador Sandhu for India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum,” Singh said.
Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS with basless Questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign.
— RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) November 27, 2023
Himmat Singh who led the pro Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused… pic.twitter.com/JW5nqMQSxO
Sandhu also posted pictures from his visit to the gurudwara, but did not mention the heckling he faced. “Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, and equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all,” the Ambassador of India to the US wrote.
Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, & equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all. pic.twitter.com/i45M2TuSdf
— Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) November 27, 2023
In September this year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the role of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, sparking a massive diplomatic row. Nijjar was shot dead by masked men at a parking lot in Canada’s British Columbia. India rubbished the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”. In the past too, there have been incidents of heckling by Khalistanis. Two months ago, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami, was barred from entering a Glasgow Gurdwara. A video shared by ‘Sikh Youth UK’ on Instagram showed a pro-Khalistani activist blocking his entry. In July, a suspected Khalistani group committed arson there. In March, the consulate faced another attack. After such incidents, India voiced its concerns to the US and demanded measures to prevent repeats. The US, last week, shared intelligence about a criminal nexus involving terrorists, gun runners and organised criminals. India said it was taking the inputs provided by the US on the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners and terrorists seriously. New Delhi is also examining the role of Pakistan’s ISI as the agency has been often accused of running a network of terrorists and gun runners inimical to India’s interests. With inputs from agencies