In an event which could impact the bilateral relations between India and Canada, some Khalistani sympathizers in Brampton, Ontario, attempted to glorify the brutal assassination of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar condemned this action and stated that this was completely unacceptable and seemed driven by vote bank politics of the current dispensation. The Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party is in a minority and is dependent on the support of the New Democratic Party (NDP) headed by Jagmeet Singh, an MP and a radical who supports the extreme Sikh elements.
Canada has a large Sikh population and has more MPs from that faith in their Parliament than India has in ours. However, the majority of Sikhs are peace loving and do not profess the formation of a separate state of Khalistan, but certain radical elements in Canada keep on raising demands which are a direct assault on the sovereignty of India.
The Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi, Cameron MacKay, tried to play down the incident and said that there was no place in his country for glorification of violence and it was the handiwork of certain fringe groups who were in an absolute minority. The fact remains that these fringe groups were projecting views that were their own and not consistent with those of either Canada and the Indian nation.
The reason why they have had a free run is because of the influence they wield politically, even though they themselves cannot not get elected if they did not have the support of the majority community there. What Jaishankar has done is to highlight the issue and draw redlines cautioning the Canadian government of the serious repercussions such events could have.
What is appalling is that the none of the leaders of the present ruling set-up in Canada have condemned the event. The assassination of the then Prime Minister was sought to be replicated on a float where Indira Gandhi was shown with her hands raised, her saree splattered with blood and two Sikhs in uniform firing at her. There was a placard in the backdrop which stated that it was the revenge for Operation Blue Star in June 1984, when security forces entered the Golden Temple complex to flush out the militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who were holed up in the premises.
Significantly, the float was a part of a five-kilometer procession and spoke about the vendetta for the act of committing sacrilege in Darbar Saheb. For the sake of record, it should be mentioned that Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her two security guards, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh on 31 October 1984.
The guards were supposed to protect her, but instead sprayed her with bullets from their weapons. Indo Tibetan Border Police commandoes who were also posted at the Prime Minister’s residence, instead of disarming them, shot at the two suspects. While Beant Singh died on the spot, Satwant Singh was rushed to hospital with a bullet lodged in his spine. He along with another Delhi police personnel, Kehar Singh, was hanged after a trial some years later.
Indira Gandhi’s assassination was followed by the genocide of Sikhs in several parts of the country including Delhi. The killings, a part of the most shameful chapter of modern Indian history were completely unpardonable. The depiction in Brampton, was a re-enactment of the slaying of the former Prime Minister, who was without doubt, the greatest mass leader of the last century.
Many radical Sikhs have tried to defend the controversial float by stating that Operation Blue Star was an insult to the Sikh faith. They have also brought up the issue of the 1984 riots and demanded justice for the victims.
Sensing that the matter could get escalated further, Jaishankar on Thursday visited some of the places where victims of those barbaric mass and selective killings of Sikhs reside, following the gunning down of Indira Gandhi. He promised to take up the matter with the relevant authorities in the Central government to ensure they were provided relief.
The External Affairs Minister has taken the correct approach, but the Canadian government also needs to do its bit. Ultras and Khalistani sympathizers should not be allowed to have a free-run in that country, merely on the pretext of free speech and expression, when their actions could affect the relations between the two countries.
The Indira Gandhi float is not an isolated example. The Canadian soil has in the past been used to perpetrate acts of terror. In fact, the bombing of Air India’s Kanishka aircraft on 23 June 1985, was planned and executed by radicals based there.
The disturbing matter is that the Kanishka bomber’s portrait is displayed at a gurdwara, as if he had done the best deed of his life. Every country has its problems, but how can any act of violence be given so much importance? Why is the majority silent in Canada and has not come out to condemn similar actions? If not checked, the radicals would feel encouraged to further damage relations.
This is not only about Indira Gandhi’s assassination but the killing of the Prime Minister of an elected government in the world’s largest democracy. The investigation into her death did raise multiple questions that pertained to the possible involvement of foreign elements.
However, Canada must assure that there never would be any place for depiction of violence of any nature on their own soil. Between us.