Religious turmoil that has led to a political crisis in the Indian state of Punjab has Sikhs across Canada protesting police brutality against demonstrators and once again raised the spectre of political instability in the state.
Punjab, where most of Canada’s Indo-Canadians hail from, remained tense this week 
as hundreds of protesters blocked major highways and roads, cutting off access to several cities for hours amid unrest over the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs, and the deaths of two protesters last month.
Indian paramilitary forces have also fanned out across the state as reports from security agencies stated that pro-Khalistani forces were mobilizing Sikhs from over 20 countries, including USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Kenya.
The Punjab government has cancelled the World Kabaddi Cup, which Canada participates in while some Sikhs have decided not to celebrate Diwali. Apart from India, the protests have also erupted in foreign countries like the US, the UK and Canada.
Last weekend, members of over 100 Gurdwaras and Sikh organizations met in Yuba City to discuss the ongoing crisis in Punjab.  Representatives came from as far as Ontario and British Columbia to deliberate upon the issues relating to the Sikhs in Punjab and the diaspora.  This was the first time in over 25 years that Sikh jathebandis came together to discuss solutions facing the community.
The crisis erupted last month after, two men died when police opened fire on a protest against the desecration of the Sikh holy book. More torn pages have since been found in six other locations in Punjab.
The killings led to widespread protests, road blocks and sit-ins by Sikh groups in the state. 
Police maintained there was an attempt from outside India to create unrest and disturb communal harmony in Punjab, which in the 1980s and 1990s saw a deadly Sikh separatist insurgency.
Last weekend, Indian media reported Sikh separatist groups will raise the bogey of 'Khalistan' in a big way to radicalise youths during a two-day convention in UK 
What has left the security agencies more worried is that the secret note claims that the convention will raise the issue of alleged 'desecration of Guru Granth Sahib' in a big way and use it to push the agenda of a 'Sikh nation'.
"This can be really dangerous as Punjab has not yet got over the episode and the Sikh diaspora is very concerned about the incidents and has a direct connect with Punjab," sources said adding that a meeting by these outfits was organised in Birmingham, UK on October 18 with the similar aim to radicalise people and create anti-India propaganda on international platform, Indian media said.
"The gathering was coordinated by Joga Singh, Kuldeep Singh Chaheru and Lavshinder Singh Dalwal. Invitation for the convention were sent to different separatists groups in 27 countries," a security official added.
The unrest in Punjab triggered concern in security and intelligence circles, particularly as there are still elements that want to revive the struggle for independence even though mass support has long dissipated.
At the height of the insurgency, Indian security forces in 1984 stormed the Golden Temple - the most important religious site for Sikhs - in the city of Amritsar and killed Sikh militants.
Four months later, former prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in revenge over the decision. Insurgency was wiped out in the 1990s following concerted police action.
Analysts said the ongoing protests showed growing disenchantment with the current Punjab government led by the regional Shiromani Akali Dal and India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
"There is a danger of disruption and political instability but no danger of resumption of terrorism," said Mr Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management in New Delhi.
"There is extreme dissatisfaction with the state of governance and the state of the economy. Even after 13 to 14 years of terrorism, Punjab was No. 2 in per capita income. Last year, it was 14."
The public demonstrations are "a new avenue to articulate the more generalised state of frustration in Punjab", he added.
The northern state of Punjab is an agrarian state that is known as the wheat bowl of the country, responsible for 18 per cent of India's wheat production.
It used to be one of India's high-growth states but years of misrule and mismanagement had seen GDP growth rates fall to almost 6 per cent last year, whereas top states enjoy 11 per cent. There is also increasing unemployment and a deepening drug problem.
Before the protests over the desecration of the holy book, thousands of farmers staged protests earlier this month to seek higher compensation from the government after an epidemic wiped out their crops.
Different groups and people within India and outside urged harmony.
The Central Sikh Gurdwara Board in Singapore said in a statement that it was "deeply saddened over the situation in Punjab".
"These acts have hurt the feelings of Sikhs in Singapore. We pray that no further acts of sacrilege on Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji occur," said the board, urging "all Sikhs in Singapore to do their personal prayers for peace and harmony to prevail".
In Vancouver, on the eve of the 2015 general election which saw Justin Trudeau become Prime Minister, more than 1,000 people showed up at candlelight vigil in protest against the desecration of Sikh scriptures and alleged police repression in Punjab.
Organised by different groups at Guru Nanak gurdwara in Surrey, the vigil was attended by candidates belonging to various political parties.
Earlier in the day, more than half a dozen gurdwaras held a public meeting at Bell Performing Arts Center in Surrey. Posters and emblems in support of Khalistan were seen on the dais. However, not all the gurdwaras support the Sikh separatist movement in India.
Baljinder Singh Khaira, one of the key organizers, told Hindustan Times that the community was not only upset over the desecration of it holy book but also outraged over the deaths of two peaceful protesters in police firing. “Most members of the Sikh sangat want peace in Punjab and protection of gurdwaras and the holy Guru Granth Sahib,” he said.

Why is Punjab angry?

On 14 October Singh, a father of three children, and another man were killed when the police opened fire on a demonstration against the alleged desecration of the Sikh holy book, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, in Bargari village in India's northern state of Punjab.
In what seemed like a deliberate act of provocation, torn-up copies of the holy book were also found outside six other Sikh shrines.
This sparked widespread protests - demonstrations, road blocks and sit-ins - by several agitated Sikh groups in the state.
The Sikhs were already angry at the pardon granted to a popular leader of a local group, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who has been accused of insulting one of the most revered Sikh gurus.
Many Sikhs had wanted an apology from Mr Singh - who had appeared in an advert dressed as the Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the 10 Sikh gurus.
The matter had been dragging in the courts. But suddenly in September the highest seat of Sikh religious authority, the Akal Takht, pardoned him.
Sikhs living in Punjab and abroad accused the five-member Akal Takht of betrayal. The authority later withdrew the pardon but by then the damage was done.
But prominent Sikhs believe the real reasons for the rising anger in the community lie elsewhere.
They says Sikh passions may have been inflamed by recent incidents but they are actually a manifestation of deep-rooted disillusionment with the ruling state government run by the regional Akali Dal party and Prime Minister’s Naredra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).