A Sikh organisation has filed a $110 million lawsuit against the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for allegedly linking it to terrorism and damaging the reputation of the Sikh community. The lawsuit filed by the World Sikh Organisation (WSO)  also named CBC reporter Terry Milewski and Legislator Ujjal Dosanjh for comments they made in the June 28, 2007 documentary titled “Samosa Politics” that was aired on television.

The organisation alleged that the documentary contained several factual misrepresentations, The Star reported.

“It is the WSO’s view that the CBC documentary contained significant and numerous factual misrepresentations,” said Gian Singh Sandhu, a policy adviser with the group’s Canadian body.

“The WSO’s lawsuit for defamation, libel and slander arises from the airing of the documentary,” he added.

The WSO, founded in 1984, works with a number of Sikh societies and organisations which represent Canada’s entire Sikh community of about 400,000.

Sandhu said the CBC’s attempt to link the WSO to violence and extremism is dishonest and highly offensive. “I was totally awed, shocked and flabbergasted when I saw the documentary. Nor was the organisation ever contacted to comment for the documentary,” he added. “They should have had the courtesy of calling.”

Meanwhile, Jeff Keay, a spokesman for the CBC, said the public broadcaster was unaware of the lawsuit and was standing behind its story. “If and when we receive a lawsuit from the WSO, we’ll give it appropriate consideration,” Keay said.

“At a time when Sikh Canadians celebrate their Canadian citizenship along-side fellow citizens of every profession, race, culture and creed, it is disheartening to see that one of Canada’s most respected Crown Corporations has aired a documentary which so grievously hurt the Sikh community with its factual errors and misrepresentations,” WSO said in a statement. While the negative reaction to “Samosa Politics” is understandable and justified, the WSO insists that the community’s response must be calm, carefully considered and constructive, the organization stressed.