Sikh groups in B.C. call for Indian consulates to be shut down [Video]

Representatives of a B.C. Sikh temple whose president was shot dead last year, as well as the Sikh separatist group he was involved in, say their communities won’t feel safe until India’s consulates in Vancouver and Toronto are shut down.

The calls come after the Canadian government expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, and the RCMP announced on Monday it had evidence of their alleged involvement in crimes, including homicide and extortion, targeting the so-called Khalistan independence movement.

The Canadian government has previously said credible intelligence links India’s government to the killing in June last year of activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, leader of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., where community members have held a news conference.

Gurkeerat Singh, a spokesperson for the gurdwara, says, “The safety and the security of Sikhs will still be in question” unless India’s consulates are shut down.