“I have become a target of the Indian government”

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the B.C. man accused of running a terror camp near Mission city, is urging Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to dispel Indian government's allegations against him.

He says the allegations read like a bad plot for a Bollywood movie and claims that he is being targeted for his campaign for rights of the Sikhs and human rights violations, also in India.

Local mainstream media picked up a Times of India story, which cited a report by Punjab intelligence identifying Hardeep Nijjar as the “operational head of (the) Khalistan Terror Force (KTF).”

According to the report, Nijjar, is wanted in India in connection with a blast at a cinema in Ludhiana in the Punjab province, where six people died in 2007.  The report alleges Nijjar has been training at least four Sikh youths on how to use AK-47s for the purpose of carrying out attacks in India.

The Times said India intelligence agencies have alerted Canadian authorities to the alleged camp, and have already submitted an application seeking Nijjar’s extradition.

This isn’t the first time India authorities have requested Canada track Nijjar. In 2015, India police requested RCMP track his whereabouts after he was suspected of a plot to transport ammunition by paraglider over the Pakistan-India border.

Nijjar said while he does not hide his political ideology but that "my Sikh nationalist activities are peaceful, democratic and protected under the Canadian charter of Rights and Freedom."

He goes on to say, "In an earlier attempt to label me as a 'terrorist', the Indian government accused me of transporting ammunition through 'paragliding' which is absolutely preposterous on the face and is more like a bad Bollywood movie plot."

We reproduce below his letter to the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau below;

 

Honorable Prime Minister:

My name is Hardeep Singh Nijjar. I am a Citizen of Canada, who has lived in this great country since 1997, I operate a small plumbing business to support my two children, wife and parents.

I am a Sikh nationalist who believes in and supports Sikhs' right to self-determination and independence of Indian occupied Punjab through a future referendum.

I have never believed in, supported or been involved in any violent activity.

For the past several years I have been actively highlighting the human rights violations committed against Sikhs in India, Some of my activities include the campaign to recognize 1984 anti-Sikh violence as genocide; raising awareness about torture and extra judicial killing of Sikhs by Indian security forces; and, as noted above, advocacy for Sikhs' right to self-determination of Indian occupied Punjab.

Because of my campaign for Sikh rights, it’s my belief that I have become a target of an Indian government media campaign to label my human rights campaign as "terrorist activities."

The Indian government, in its most recent attempt, has accused me of running a "terrorist camp" from Mission, B.C. The media reports originating in India have now been picked up media outlets in Canada also alleging that I was involved in giving arms training to Sikh youths. The photo running in most media reports has been doctored to include a weapon.

In an earlier attempt to label me as a "terrorist," the Indian government accused me of transporting ammunition through "paragliding" which is absolutely preposterous on the face and is more like a bad Bollywood movie plot.

India has blatantly abused its governmental authority to place my name on Interpol's wanted list, even though I have never been investigated, charged or convicted of any crime.

The Indian government's allegations against me of promoting terrorism are factually baseless and fabricated.

Mr. Prime Minister, I want to bring it to your attention that the Indian government's campaign to label me as a "terrorist" started when I actively participated in a campaign to collect signatures on a complaint to the UN’s Human Rights Council for investigation and recognition of 1984 anti-Sikh violence as Genocide.

Between 2012 and 2013, I collected more than 20,000 signatures in B.C. by setting up weekly camps at Sikh Gurdwaras across the province.

On November 1, 2013, I was in Geneva to submit the complaint to the UNHRC against the Government of India for organizing the November 1984 anti-Sikh violence in which thousands of Sikhs were killed after the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

In June 2014, I participated in an event organized at UN Headquarters in New York in which a memorandum was submitted to Secretary General requesting to hold Punjab Independence Referendum.

In September 2014, during the Obama-Modi Summit, I campaigned in my community to attend a major rally at the White House in Washington D.C. where a "Citizens Court" held a mock trial and indicted the Indian PM for his role in 2002 Gujarat massacre.

In retaliation to my campaign for Sikh rights, my family members living and visiting Punjab have been a target of police harassment. In April 2015, Indian police illegally detained my father who is a resident of Canada and my brother who is a Citizen of the U.K. During their detention the police warned them: “If Nijjar does not stop his anti-India campaign, we will implicate him in criminal cases and confiscate all the landed property of your family in India.”

India's attempt to malign the nationalist movement is not limited to labeling Sikh activists as terrorists, but also includes putting pressure on foreign governments to curb the lawful and democratic activities of Sikhs in their home countries. In November 2012, the then Prime Minister Harper took a bold and principled stand that our country cannot “interfere with the right of political freedom of expression” in response to India's demand to curb pro-Khalistan activities in Canada.

Prime Minister Trudeau, my Sikh nationalist activities are peaceful, democratic and protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

I urge your administration to dispel the Indian government's fabricated, baseless, fictitious and politically motivated allegations against me, which are being used to label me as a "terrorist" and smear the Sikh nationalist campaign in Canada.

 

Truly yours

Hardeep Singh Nijjar

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