Sikh activists in B.C., Ontario warned by police of threat against life

RCMP have issued “duty to warn” letters to at least two Canadian Sikh activists, telling them their lives are under threat for their involvement in trying to create an independent Sikh state in India.

Police have issued the notices to Inderjeet Singh Gosal of Caledon, Ont., and Manjinder Singh from Abbotsford, B.C., telling them there are credible, serious and imminent threats against their lives, although they couldn’t provide more details.

The documents, obtained by The Canadian Press, say that while there’s no threat against their family or friends, those people could be hurt during any attempt on their lives.

“You may be putting yourself at risk if you spend time in any residence, vehicle or location frequented by those who engage in a criminal lifestyle.”

Gosal is the Canadian coordinator of non-binding referendums being held in Sikh communities around the world, asking if they want an independent Sikh state — known as Khalistan — within India.

Gosal said in an interview from Caledon on Tuesday that the movement is peaceful and does not condone violence, adding that the threats will not change plans for the next referendum to be held in Edmonton in October.

“For me to stop doing what I’m doing, which is impossible, the threats are going to come,” Gosal said.

“I know what I signed up for,” he said. “It wouldn’t abide by what I stand for, and running and hiding is not what I do.”

The form letter from police to both men asked them to check yes or no, indicating if they understand the circumstances.

“If you do not want police assistance, we suggest you take appropriate and legal precautions for yourself, family and friends.”

The previous Canadian organizer, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was gunned down in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023 in a killing that has been linked to India-based organized crime groups.

In July, the U.S. State Justice Department announced the arrest of 24 suspects around the world linked to offences by India-based crime groups, including Nijjar’s assassination outside the Sikh gurdwara he led before his death.

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who’s in prison in India, has been charged with ordering Nijjar’s killing.

Sikh activists have accused the government of India to be behind Nijjar’s death, an accusation that India has repeatedly denied.

The relationship between Canada and India unravelled after the Nijjar’s murder, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons in 2023 that “agents of the Indian government” had been linked to the killing.

The row led to both sides expelling each other’s diplomats.

Current Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta last summer, reasoning that India is among the world’s largest economies and remains a key player in global supply chains.

The group organizing the Canadian referendums, Sikh’s for Justice, said a third organizer in B.C. received a verbal warning from Canadian police.

The RCMP did not confirm any of the warnings.

The form letters from police to both men asked them to check yes or no to indicate if they understand the circumstances.

“If you do not want police assistance, we suggest you take appropriate and legal precautions for yourself, family and friends.”

Gosal said he has received several of the warning since becoming the lead organizer, and police have repeatedly offered witness protection to keep him safe.

He says he has turned down all of those offers, although he wrote in on the “duty to warn” letter to police that he would like to know more about the threats.

“I will continue to do exactly what Hardeep Singh Nijjar did,” he said Tuesday.

“And if the bullet is the ending for me, I’m glad to take that bullet. But nothing will stop me from this campaign.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press