India’s envoy to the U.S. heckled by Khalistanis at New York gurudwara

ndia’s ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Sandhu, was heckled and harassed by pro Khalistan elements at a Long Island gurudwara in New York state on Sunday. The Indian envoy had gone to the Hicksville gurudwara to pay obeisance to Guru Nanak ahead of the auspicious day of Gurupurab. The video of the heckling was shared on X, formerly Twitter, by the national spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party, R.P. Singh. The video shows Sandhu being accosted by aggressive men who accuse him of plotting the assassination of wanted terrorist and Khalistani radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Canada earlier this year.

The subtitle of the video also translates the speaker, who is not seen on camera, as saying that Sandhu “plotted to kill Pannun”. The reference is to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a radical Khalistani who holds the dual citizenship of the United States and Canada. Pannun, who is the spokesperson of the Khalistani organisation Sikhs for Justice, has been in the news for inciting hatred against Hindus, threatening Indian diplomats on camera, warning Sikhs against taking Air India flights, apart from promising the dismemberment of India. He is also one of the main backers of the Khalistani referendum on secessionism from India.

R.P. Singh, in his tweet names the man who led the hecklers as Himmat Singh. Singh tweeted: “Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS with basless Questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign. Himmat Singh who led the pro Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused ambassador Sandhu for India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum.”

Sandhu calmly left the gurudwara post the heckling and later tweeted about the visit, without making any mention of the unpleasant incident: “Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, & equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all.”

Earlier, during the felicitation ceremony at the gurdwara, Sandhu had said, “Today is a very special day for me to come here to Guru Nanak’s Gurdwara and get the blessing here on this auspicious day. I am thankful to the management of the Gurdwara for inviting me…For those of us in the US if we study our religious legacy from the Guru’s time he always spoke for progressive thought, if we implement that in our lives it will be very good. The message of oneness, unity of truth, honest and virtuous living is a message for us and for us to implement in our lives” he added.

The pro Khalistan elements, who raised the Khalistani flag in front of the gurudwara, were echoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s charge that there were “credible allegations” of Indian government agents’ possible involvement in the assassination of Nijjar. India refuted the charge as baseless and asked Trudeau to show proof, which he has not been able to do till date.

As for Pannun, some media reports have been floated in the US claiming that India had hatched a plot to kill Pannun for his separatist activities, but was warned by the United States against it. India has dismissed these reports as baseless.

Verbal attacks and threats of violence against Indian diplomats are becoming increasingly common wherever there is some presence of Khalistani radicals. Several posters were published in Canada, asking for the targeting of Indian diplomats there. The Indian High Commission in London was attacked by Khalistani radicals. India’s consulate in San Francisco was set on fire by Khalsitani elements in March this year.

In September this year, Indian high commissioner to the UK, Vikram Dorwaiswami, was not allowed entry into a gurudwara in Scotland’s Glasgow by Khalistani radicals. India called the incident “disgraceful”. India has been lodging protests with the respective governments about these incidents and shut down visa issuing services in Canada for almost two months as conditions were not suitable for Indian diplomats to function on Canadian soil.