Khalistan Referendum in Canada: All you need to know

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• Oct 1, 2022 | Dhupali Das

As an unlawful organization, the SFJ was banned in India in 2019...

Digital Desk: Over 100,000 Canadian Sikhs voted in the Khalistan Referendum in Brampton, Ontario, which was organized by the pro-Khalistani group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Videos on social media showed a large number of men and women queuing to vote in the Khalistan Referendum. 

As an unlawful organization, the SFJ was banned in India in 2019. SJF advocates for a Punjab independence referendum in order to create a distinct Khalistan as part of its separatist agenda.

As per reports, the Indian government has alerted the Canadian government about the anti-Indian forces that were expanding there. However, the Canadian government refused to stop them from expressing their views by holding the Khalistan Referendum and linking it with a peaceful and democratic process within the legal parameters of the country's laws.

The Khalistan referendum is a demand to carve out a separate country from Punjab. "Once there is a consensus within the Punjabi people that independence from India is desired, we [Sikhs for Justice] will then approach the UN and other international forms and bodies with the goal of re-establishing Punjab as a nation-state," Firstpost has reported citing Referendum 2020 website. 

Last week, "Canadian Khalistani radicals" damaged a renowned Hindu temple with anti-India graffiti in an apparent hate crime, prompting the Indian embassy to denounce the incident and urge authorities to take fast action against the culprits.

The Indian High Commission tweeted saying, "We strongly condemn the defacing of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto with anti-India graffiti. Have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on the perpetrators."

Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament, Canada, tweeted, "Vandalism of Toronto BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir by Canadian Khalistani extremists should be condemned by all. This is not just an isolated event. In recent years, Canadian Hindu temples have been targeted by these kinds of hate crimes. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned."

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha is a spiritual, volunteer-driven religion committed to fostering the Hindu concepts of faith, unity, and selfless service in order to better society via individual growth.