• By Abhishek Sheoran
  • Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:08 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on Monday alleged government’s intention to create an atmosphere like 1984, by labelling the Sikhs anti-national, has become public. This came after diplomatic relations between India and Canada degraded over the latter’s accusation of the Indian government’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The apex Sikh body said the fact that Canada alleged involvement of India in a Sikh’s killing was not a good sign as the community was being maligned. The Gurudwara management body alleged that the government was conspiring against the Sikhs.

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“There is a conspiracy like 1984 to defame Sikhs. Indira Gandhi killed Sikhs to promote her agenda. A large-scale genocide happened in Delhi,” SGPC general secretary Gurcharan Singh Grewal said.

The body also rebuked the media for playing an active role in degrading the atmosphere. “The biggest role in this is being played by a big chunk of Indian media. It only talks about denouncing the Sikhs. It challenging for us to see that we are labelled as Khalistani even if we demand our rights,” he added.

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A diplomatic tussle ensued between India and Canada after Justin Trudeau, while addressing the parliament, said their agencies were actively perusing ‘credible allegations’ of potential links between agents of the government of India in the killing of a Canadian citizen (referring to the murder of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey on June 18).

After laying out allegations, Canada suspended a senior diplomat of India. As a reaction, India also expelled a Canadian diplomatic officer, besides rejecting Trudeau’s allegations as ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’. Both countries even cautioned their citizens living/travelling in the two countries.

Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron Mackay leaves the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Headquarters after he was summoned by the MEA in a reciprocal move to Canada expelling a senior Indian diplomat, in New Delhi. ANI File

The apex religious body of Sikhs, SGPG, amid the fiasco, asked the government to take the matter ‘seriously’ as it was going to ‘affect’ the Sikhs across the world. SGPC chief Harjinder Singh Dhami appealed to the Centre to address the apprehensions of the Sikhs and reach a meaningful solution over it.