Canada’s federal police are currently investigating a series of videos circulating online that warn against flying Air India starting from November 19. Transportation Minister Pablo Rodriguez emphasized that Canada takes every threat seriously, particularly when it involves airlines. He stated this during a press conference in Ottawa. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is actively conducting an investigation into the matter.
The videos in question feature Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the general counsel for the Khalistani organization known as Sikhs for Justice. In these videos, Pannun cautions Sikhs against flying Air India after November 19, as he believes their lives may be in danger. However, Pannun has clarified that his intention was not to issue a threat but rather to call for a boycott of Indian businesses.
It is worth noting that Canada is home to approximately 770,000 Sikhs, accounting for roughly two percent of the country’s total population. In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised allegations suggesting that Indian agents played a role in the murder of a Canadian Sikh leader near Vancouver in June. As a result, Canada expelled an Indian diplomat suspected of having a connection to the killing. The Indian government has dismissed these accusations as “absurd.”
The unsolved murder and India’s dissatisfaction with how Canada has handled Sikh separatists have strained relations between the two countries. The situation remains unresolved, and tensions persist.
