Scores of people came together to denounce the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed by the right wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), at a rally organized in Surrey on Sunday, December 22.

CAA is a divisive law that welcomes only non-Muslim refugees from the Muslim-dominated countries neighbouring India. Aimed at polarizing the Hindu majority against Muslims by excluding Muslim refugees from these countries, CAA has sparked angry protests all over India, especially from those who feel that it violates the Indian constitution, which is based on the principle of secularism that does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of religion.

More than 20 people have died during violent demonstrations while many opponents have been arrested.  

The Surrey rally organized by Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) began with a moment of silence for those who died during protests.

The participants raised slogans against CAA and the BJP government. They held signs in support of secularism and diversity.

None of the local elected officials showed up, despite it being a holiday, even though Surrey has two MPs and four MLAs of Indian origin.

Among the speakers was anti-racism activist and educator Annie Ohana, who has consistently been raising her voice against human rights violations anywhere in the world. She had also spoken at an anti-CAA rally held outside Indian consulate in Vancouver on Friday.

On this occasion, Ohana was presented with a medal of courage by the IAPI members, Parshotam Dosanjh, Navtej Johal, Sayyad Wajahat, Sandeep Modgil and Rakesh Kumar.

Others who spoke at the Surrey rally included Sikh activists Gian Singh Gill and Kulwinder Singh, besides Muslim activists Itrath Syed, Furuqan Gehllen and Dawood Ismail, and a Hindu Interfaith Chaplain Arun Chatterjee. Niovi Patsicakis from Global Peace Alliance and leftist activists Prabhjot Kaur Hundal, Joseph Theriault and Rawait Singh also addressed the gathering.

Gurpreet Singh 

Even as Canada repents the racist Komagata Maru incident of 1914, the right wing Hindu nationalist government of India has taken a leaf from that history to deny refuge to Muslims coming from neighbouring countries.

The Japanese vessel carrying more than 300 South Asian passengers from British India arrived at Vancouver on May 23, 1914. Since British Columbia was part of the British dominion, they had come as British subjects to earn their livelihood in this part of the world. However, under a discriminatory immigration law aimed at keeping Canada as a "white man’s country", the Komagata Maru ship was forced to return after remaining stranded in the waters of Burrard Inlet for two months.

The current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already apologized for the episode in the House of Commons.  More than a century later, the history is being repeated by the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP, which wants to transform India into a majoritarian Hindu state, recently passed a controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill that openly discourages Muslims coming to India as refugees from neighbouring countries such as Muslim-dominated Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The bill is intended to ensure smooth immigration to India of non-Muslims, especially Hindus from these countries.  The BJP claims that these groups have been facing religious persecution in these countries, but creating such preferences and exclusions goes against the spirit of the Indian constitution, which is based on the principles of secularism and diversity. Being a secular democracy, India cannot discriminate so shamelessly and blatantly against any religious group.

It goes without saying that some Muslim groups, such as Shias, Ahemdiyas or even Mohajirs, face inequality in Pakistan. How can one deny refuge to them? India has growing numbers of climate refugees, irrespective of their religious beliefs, which has nothing to do with the socio-political environment in these countries. One does not need a PhD to guess the motivations of this government. They have clearly picked on countries that are frequently demonized by the BJP government as alleged "exporters of Islamic extremism" to polarize Hindus against Muslims. It is worth mentioning that attacks on Muslims have grown under Modi ever since he became the Prime Minister in 2014, and got re-elected this year with more seats. The state of Gujarat witnessed anti-Muslim pogroms in 2002 under his watch. Modi, who was the Chief Minister of the state back then, alleged that Pakistan-based Islamic extremists had burnt a train carrying Hindu pilgrims. More than 50 people died in the incident, which was instantly blamed on Pakistan following which thousands of Muslims were killed by the mobs across Gujarat.  

It’s a shame that the Indian officials in Canada continue to celebrate the history of Komagata Maru, and aren't shy to stake claims in the story, while in their own home country they raise walls against refugees in the name of religion. Their attitude is no different than the British, who wanted to keep India divided on religious lines to prolong their rule. Ironically, Gurdit Singh, who charted the Komagata Maru, shared in his memoir that the British were partly upset with him for giving space on the vessel for everyone to practise their religions, including Hindus, Muslims and the Sikhs. This shows how the founding fathers of modern India tried to build an inclusive society by taking everyone along in their fight against colonialism and racism, and yet the present day Indian leadership is bent upon destroying that dream.  It’s time for Canada to wake up and see what’s going on in India. If Trudeau really cares for the Komagata Maru, he should let Modi know that this will not be tolerated, and if Modi doesn’t listen, then he must think of slapping sanctions against the Indian government. 

Indians Abroad for Pluralist India has organized a rally against the divisive Citizenship Amendment Bill on Sunday, December 22 at 3 pm at Holland Park in Surrey.

Radical Desi has declared a vocal critic against repression of Kashmiri people by the Indian state as Person of the Year 2019.

Nitasha Kaul is a London-based academic and author, who courageously testified in October before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on “Human Rights in South Asia”, after the recent developments in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

On August 5, the Indian government unilaterally scrapped special rights given to the state of Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian constitution, arresting local leaders on the pretext of maintaining public safety.  

The right wing Hindu nationalist BJP government claims that the act was necessary to stop terrorism in the only Muslim dominated state of India. Since then, Kashmir has been turned into an open jail, communication channels such as internet have been shut, and leaders fighting for freedom and autonomy have been detained indefinitely. These include political figures and activists who have been advocating for peaceful resolution of the problem of Kashmir, where people have been struggling for right to self-determination.

Kaul is an associate professor of politics at the University of Westminster, and a published author. She strongly advocated for the rights of the Kashmiri people in her testimony. Despite being Hindu herself, through her writings she has consistently raised her voice for the Muslims who are being persecuted in Kashmir by the Indian forces.

Here are the excerpts from her testimony:

I want to begin by saying that I’m mindful of the ironies of speaking here in non-communal terms, being someone who is a Kashmiri Pandit herself by birth, but also someone from Kashmir who grew up in India, lives in England and is speaking in the US today. There are multiple colonial transitions there that are important. 

The parallels with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust [made earlier] are very apt, because the RSS in India, about which concerns were raised in the morning as well, is a nationwide paramilitary that is the ideological parent of the current ruling party. The RSS avowedly has an idea of turning India into a Hindu nation, it also has this idea of an undivided India where everything else in the region will become part of a Hindu India.

Please remember also that the New York Times in 1922 profiled Hitler saying Mr Hitler’s anti-Semitism is neither as violent nor as genuine as it sounds. So things take time to unfold, and the proto-fascist trajectory that sadly the secular democracy of India is on, is very worrying for us all.

Let me also say that I’ve been to Kashmir every year, including this year during elections when the whole place was deserted… I don’t represent either Indian interests nor Pakistani interests, and in fact that is precisely the problem, that the people who speak about Kashmiri self interest and the rights of Kashmiris themselves are the ones most vulnerable, from any and every side.

Communal politics serves no one. It does not serve Indians and if Kashmir were a communal issue then Muslims in India would feel the same as Kashmiri Muslims, and they do not. So it is not a communal issue—it’s an issue that has been communalised.

I would also like to say that every other day for Kashmiris is the commemoration of a massacre, and when Indians (this is not personally against Indians or Pakistanis) when Indians expect acknowledgment of a massacre like Jallianwala Bagh, when under General Dyer fire was opened upon unarmed protesters, what about all the Kashmiri protesters?

What we are asking here is really very, very simple. We are asking for human rights and substantive democracy and for the question of freedom. The people who have been fired upon for just gathering non-violently over the years, in numerous massacres that I have listed in my statement—there should be an acknowledgment from the state to say, we are sorry.

Nothing can move on unless there is an acknowledgment of all the human rights violations that have gone on for this people, who have been an important site of early Buddhism, who have seen Hindu and Mughal and Afghan rulers, who were sold for the equivalent of $150,000 in 1846 by clauses of the treaties of Lahore and Amritsar without their consent!

And who then had an unrepresentative ruler. All through the 19th century it’s a story of absolute tragedy, and then when we come into the 20th Kashmir was one of the first interstate disputes that the UN was prominently involved in. There are several resolutions in those early years where the UN was trying under various people to demilitarise Kashmir…

This is a long and complex history which should not obfuscate from us a very simple fact: that there is a political problem here, which is compounded by human rights violations, and the international community has a role because it has implications not just for Kashmiris—who are currently under siege and under collective punishment, being deprived of their very basic rights—it also has regional and global implications. Because people travel across borders, and ideas when they are suffocated and dissent when suffocated becomes the hardest to handle.

The question here is really not so much about Article 370. The fundamental question here is about the consent of the people.

If something is being carried out for people’s welfare, for their development, then why does it need tens of thousands of troops being brought in, why must it happen overnight without absolutely any consultation of the people? With placing even the pro-India politicians in prison and then depriving the populace of the right to say anything? If it’s for their own good, why won’t any of them be allowed to say anything about it?

This is an egregious human rights violation, it goes against consent, against fundamental principles of dissent as it relates to democracy. And as people who are being claimed in the name of democracy, as rights bearing individuals, it’s something they should fundamentally be allowed to do. This is arbitrary use of power with no accountability. 

Dear Santa, 

I have heard that you are a kind soul who listens to the people and tries to make their dreams come true by bringing them gifts on every Christmas.

I am writing you for the very first time and I hope you won’t disappoint me.

Fortunately, I am going to make your job a bit easier. I am not asking for material gifts, so you don’t have to worry about making anything for me. All I ask is for you to write a letter to India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi,  and CC it to our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on my behalf, requesting him to show some compassion for the people of Kashmir who continue to face lockdown since August 5, 2019. Alternatively, you can just copy and paste the content of my letter and forward it to him to save your time, as you must be busy responding to thousands of letters around this time of the year.

Kashmir is a disputed region where people have been fighting for the right to self-determination. The Indian forces continue to suppress their struggle, with a heavy deployment of troops. But ever since August 5, Indian-occupied Kashmir has been turned into an open jail. More than 5,000 people are under arrest, while civil liberties have been suspended. In the name of national security, the Indian state has scrapped the special status given to Kashmir, and disintegrated the state into two territories without any consultation with local leadership. This is done to humiliate the minority Muslim community, as Kashmir is the only Muslim dominated province in predominantly Hindu India. This reflects very poorly on a country that claims to be the world’s largest democracy.  

Even otherwise, attacks on religious minorities, including Christians, have grown in India ever since Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014. He is the leader of a right wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party which is bent upon turning India into a Hindu theocracy, where the rights of all minorities will be reduced. On the auspicious occasion of Christmas, it is important to remind that Christians are finding it difficult to practice their faith under these circumstances. They are the target of constant attacks in different parts of India at the hands of Hindu extremists.   

So just write to Modi, and tell him to be compassionate, and lift the blockade of Kashmir, restore all the rights that have been suspended without further delay. During the holiday season, urge him to give up hate and start to embrace everyone. I am sure that a bigot like him won’t listen to you, but if you choose to write a letter to him it will give moral support to the people of Kashmir and other minorities in India. And please don’t forget to CC it to Trudeau, who has failed to address this issue despite many protests across Canada. Please remind Trudeau that since Canada claims to be a human rights leader in the world, it has an obligation to raise its voice against injustice anywhere on the globe. Maybe you can also remind him that this year marks the birth centenary of his father, the late Prime Minister who had the courage to stand up for Cuba and look into the eyes of US. He should follow in his father's footsteps if he really cares for his legacy, and tell Modi to do the right thing. 

Looking forward to your reply.

Gurpreet Singh  

Delta, BC 

Braving cold weather and rain on a weekday afternoon, social justice activists came together on Tuesday, December 3, to raise their voices for a physically challenged Delhi University Professor incarcerated in an Indian jail.

Wheelchair-bound G.N. Saibaba, who is ninety percent disabled below the waist, is serving a life sentence under inhuman conditions. His health continues to deteriorate because of 19 ailments.

On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI) held a demonstration at Surrey’s Holland Park, where the speakers unanimously demanded the immediate release of Saibaba on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. They felt that the current right wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government is indulging in double standards by openly shielding Hindu extremists who spread violence and terror, while punishing a scholar like Saibaba who is facing persecution for standing up for the rights of religious minorities and oppressed communities, particularly Adivasis or the indigenous peoples of India who are being forcibly evicted by the Indian state from their traditional lands in the name of development. The attacks on minorities and Adivasis have grown ever since the BJP came to power with a brute majority in 2014.  

Saibaba was charged and convicted after being branded as a Maoist sympathizer. Since Maoists are fighting a class war in the tribal belt, not only Saibaba, but others like him have been frequently labelled as ultra-leftists to suppress any voice of dissent.

The Sikh activists came out in big numbers to show their solidarity. Among them were members of the Banda Singh Bahadur Society, Ranjit Singh Khalsa and Inderjit Singh Bains, and members of the Guru Nanak Sikh temple Surrey-Delta were also present. Notably, the Sikh community in Vancouver had enthusiastically supported a petition asking for the Canadian government to intervene by calling to get Saibaba released.

Those who spoke on the occasion included anti-racism educator Annie Ohana, anti-poverty activist Dave Diewert, independent Sikh activist Gurmukh Singh Deol, Sikh Nation volunteer Sunil Kumar, besides IAPI members Rakesh Kumar and Gurpreet Singh. No elected official showed up.

The participants held placards asking for freedom of Saibaba and raised slogans against the high handedness of the Indian government, which continues to ignore the international outcry over its mistreatment of Saibaba.

The rally was started with a moment of silence in memory of another scholar and activist, SAR Geelani, who passed away recently. Geelani, who also taught at Delhi University, was close to Saibaba and had been tirelessly campaigning for the release of all political prisoners. He himself was falsely implicated by the police in connection with a terror attack on the Indian parliament in 2001 and was thrown into jail. After being acquitted by the court, he began advocacy for political prisoners.

Radical Desi in partnership with Mehak Punjab Dee TV, People’s Voice and Spice Radio released its annual calendar in Surrey on Sunday, December 1.

Dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, the calendar was unveiled by the Editor of the Georgia Straight, Charlie Smith. Others who joined him in the ceremony included Surrey Newton MP Sukh Dhaliwal and Surrey Greentimbers MLA Rachna Singh, besides the members of Guru Nanak Free Kitchen and Indians Abroad for Pluralist India (IAPI).

The painting of Nanak ploughing fields like an ordinary and hardworking farmer printed on the calendar was made by Jarnail Singh. It has several important dates related to the radical history of South Asian elders alongside significant days, such as International Human Rights Day and International Women’s Day.

Smith was also honoured on the occasion with Radical Desi medal of courage for standing up against bigotry by anti-racism activists, Annie Ohana and Avtar Singh Dhillon. Ohana is an anti-racism educator, while Dhillon has been fighting for the right to wear turbans at workplaces in Canada.

The event was started with a moment of silence for Zofia Cisowski, a Polish woman from Kamloops who passed away recently. Her son Robert Dziekanski was tasered to death by the RCMP at Vancouver Airport in 2007. She had fought for justice and became an icon of human rights struggles in Canada.

Guru Nanak himself was a human rights defender and a revolutionary who had challenged the barbarity of the state. The speakers were unanimous in their views that the legacy of Nanak has become even more relevant today with the rise in racism and hate all over the world. They emphasized that repressive governments across the globe need to be made accountable as a fitting tribute to Nanak in these difficult times.

Smith was honoured for refusing to interview Peoples’ Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier for his racist views.He noted that Nanak was way ahead of his times, and by teaching his followers to respect the Mother Earth and denouncing discrimination on basis of caste, colour and gender, had laid the foundation for a just society.

Others who spoke on the occasion were Sukh Dhaliwal, Annie Ohana, Rachna Singh, Sikh activist Kulwinder Singh, Omni TV Reporter Haroon Gaffar, Independent Broadcaster Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal, IAPI member Sayyad Wajahat and Pakistani activist  Furquan Gehlen.

Gehlen brought with him postcards addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking him to break his silence on Indian occupied Kashmir, which has been under lockdown since August 5. The participants signed the post cards at the event that coincided with the martyrdom day of the ninth master of the Sikhs, Guru Teg Bahadur, who had laid down his life for Kashmiri Hindus. Charlie Smith also signed one post card to show his solidarity with Kashmiri Muslims who are being persecuted by the Indian forces.

Gurpreet Singh

The ruling right wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government has come to the defence of a terror accused who is now sitting in the parliament of the world’s so called largest democracy.

Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, who was elected as a BJP lawmaker in the recent general election, had described the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi as patriot.

Nathuram Godse was a member of a group that wanted to establish a Hindu theocracy in post-independent India. Since Gandhi was opposed to the idea, he was murdered by Godse on January 30, 1948. As a result, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu supremacist group of which BJP is a part, was banned for some time. The current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an RSS man. It is not surprising that the BJP has many supporters who continue to glorify Godse and despise Gandhi. This is despite the fact that Modi claims to be an admirer of Gandhi, who remains an indisputable icon of India’s freedom movement.

Thakur, a fiery ascetic, faces criminal charges for the 2008 bomb blasts that left 10 people dead and close to 100 injured. The conspiracy was hatched by those who want to transform India into a Hindu state. The blasts were targeted at the minority Muslim community. Thakur was given bail on medical grounds, after which she fought and won the election. Notably, the trial isn’t over yet. Modi personally endorsed her candidacy, blaming the previous Congress government of implicating her in a “false case” to “malign Hindus”.

Following her remarks on Godse, there was an uproar in the parliament. The opposition was up in arms against the government for shielding a terror accused, to which the BJP government has responded by saying that she isn’t convicted.

Well, if Thakur isn’t convicted and deserves to be an MP, then what about others who were not given fair trials, and were killed illegally in the name of war on terror? Why these double standards on terrorism?

A case in point is Talwinder Singh Parmar, who was a suspect in the Air India bombing of June 23, 1985. Parmar was killed by the Indian Police in 1992. Flight 182 was bombed mid-air above the Irish Sea. The incident killed all 329 people aboard. The crime was blamed on Parmar and his militant organization that was fighting for a separate Sikh homeland. Parmar, who was a Canadian citizen, was arrested on unrelated charges, but released. While he still remained a suspect, he went back to India to pursue his struggle for a Sikh homeland.

The police claimed that he was killed in an exchange of fire, although ground realities suggested that he was killed using extra judicial means that were blatantly used against Sikh militants to suppress armed insurgency. So Parmar never got a fair trial, and yet the Indian agents in Canada continue to raise objections to commemorative prayers organized in his memory every year in local Sikh temples. They miss no opportunity to criticise Canadian politicians who visit the temples that glorify Parmar.  Sikh MPs are often forced to take a stand against Parmar to silence their pro-India critics and the Indian diplomats.

Considering that Modi and his government have been shamelessly backing people like Thakur, Canadian MPs need to ask, what moral right do they have to question their intentions? If Parmar was a terrorist, even if he was never convicted by the courts, why shouldn't Thakur be described as such? Also, Canadian politicians who respect Gandhi need to ask Modi to clarify his position on terrorism, especially in relation to his party’s ideological ties with Godse. It also raises questions about the integrity of the Indian police and legal justice system. How come the state allowed its police to kill Sikh militants at will in the name of peace, but is not using similar methods to liquidate Hindu extremists who terrorise minorities with impunity? Haven’t they ruined the peace and harmony in India? This only suggests that India has actually become a majoritarian Hindu state that openly discriminates against minorities, and treats majoritarian extremists more leniently than extremists from minority communities. If this pattern is allowed to prevail, nothing can stop the revival of Sikh separatism and Balkanisation of India. 

The Editor of the Georgia Straight will be given Radical Desi's medal of courage on Sunday, December 1.

Charlie Smith had recently refused to interview Maxime Bernier, the leader of far right People’s Party of Canada, because of his anti-immigrant views.  This was in sharp contrast to many editors of mainstream media outlets who provided Bernier with a platform to air his opinions that fuelled racism during the federal election.

Smith has frequently faced backlashes for his advocacy of diversity.  

Radical Desi, which covers alternative politics, will honour him at a public event being held at Strawberry Hill Library in Surrey on Sunday afternoon between 1-3 pm.  Not only will Smith be presented with a medal, he will also be unveiling the annual calendar of Radical Desi on the occasion.

The year 2020 calendar of Radical Desi is dedicated to the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Devji, who had denounced discrimination on basis of caste, colour and gender.

Smith believes that Nanak was ahead of his time and had taught his disciples about the values that are even more relevant today, when bigotry and inequality continue to grow. He has a deep understanding of the Indian society and history, besides the progressive aspect of Sikh religion.

Smith had openly asked for a street in Vancouver to be named after Gurdit Singh, a Sikh activist who had chartered the Komagata Maru. The Japanese vessel carrying more than 300 South Asian passengers aboard was forced to return in 1914 under then-discriminatory immigration laws passed by the Canadian government, to keep Canada as a white man’s country. Singh’s act of resistance was against racism, but his image has often been distorted by Eurocentric historians. Smith came under online attack for suggesting this.

On the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism, Canada’s first turbaned Sikh Defence Minister joined Hands Against Racism – a campaign started by Spice Radio in 2015.

Harjit Singh Sajjan dipped his palm in colours and left a handprint on a sheet of paper alongside a message that read, “All of us must do our part to stop racism!"

As part of the campaign initiated on Martin Luther King’s birthday several years ago by the Burnaby-based radio station, participants are encouraged to colour their hands and put handprints on paper, and write down a message against racial discrimination.

It was a special occasion for Sikhs, including Sajjan, who were celebrating the birthday of Guru Nanak Devji on Tuesday, November 12. Nanak established the Sikh religion, denounced discrimination on basis of caste, colour and gender, and stood up for human rights.  

On that morning Sajjan went on Spice Radio to to share his own story of the fight against racism as a young child. But he also cautioned  listeners about growing bigotry in Canada, insisting that there is a need to be vigilant about divisive politics and polarization. 

A day before, Sajjan had attended Remembrance Day events that coincided with a controversy stirred by hockey commentator Don Cherry, who questioned the nationalism of immigrants. According to Cherry, immigrants weren’t wearing poppies on the day to show respect to fallen soldiers. Deeply disturbed by those remarks, Sajjan said that this was uncalled for, since not only do immigrants wear poppies, but the Sikhs had also participated in World War II and gave their lives.

Ironically, Sajjan, who served in the Canadian forces before jumping into politics, earlier headed a regiment that was responsible for forcing  the Komagata Maru to leave in 1914. The Japanese vessel, carrying more than 300 South Asian passengers who were not allowed to disembark in Vancouver, was forcibly returned under a discriminatory immigration law. The Canadian authorities back then wanted to keep this country as a "white man’s land". As a result, the Komagata Maru ship driven out under the shadow of guns. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has officially apologized in Parliament for that racist incident. Sajjan explained to Spice Radio how emotional it was for him to know that he headed the same regiment that drove away the ship with Sikh elders aboard.

The BC government headed by New Democrats has declined an application seeking proclamation of the Sikh Remembrance Week.

Moved by Radical Desi, the application had urged the provincial government to declare the first week of November, 2019 as "Sikh Remembrance Week" in recognition of the Sikh massacre.

Thousands of Sikhs were murdered across India in the first week of November, 1984 following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. The pogroms were orchestrated by the slain leader’s ruling Congress party activists in connivance with the police. Among the dead were 50 Sikh soldiers, some of them in uniforms travelling by trains. Their killings coincided with Remembrance Day commemorative events taking place in different parts of the world.

For the past 35 years, Sikhs have been fighting for justice and closure. In Canada, the Sikhs have saved close to 150,000 human lives through  an annual blood drive organized every year since 1999, in memory of the dead.

The draft proclamation mentions that the Sikhs have contributed to the growth and progress of British Columbia. Yet the government refused to support the request, despite the fact the Federal New Democrats issued a statement in recognition of the tragedy on November 1.

No reason has been given, but an email from Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Attorney General says that after careful consideration, the ministry has advised that “they are unable to support the proclamation request.”

The Indian authorities and their diplomats have repeatedly tried to prevent foreign governments from raising the issue of the Sikh massacre. 

Federal New Democratic leader Jagmeet Singh was denied an Indian visa for raising this issue in the Ontario legislature in the past. Singh, who was an MPP back then, had brought a motion asking for the massacre to be recognized as Sikh Genocide.