New Delhi: Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, has recounted a chilling encounter with Khalistani extremists in Alberta, revealing a pattern of intimidation and threats that escalated to a near-assault during a public event.
In a podcast interview with news agency ANI, Verma recallled the incident, where he narrowly escaped harm from a potential attack with a sharp object, likely a kirpan, in the presence of Canadian law enforcement.
“There were attempts to harm me bodily, that was in the presence of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the local police. They took immediate action, pushing the attacker away because there was a sharp weapon. The RCMP then whisked me away from the side door of the venue,” Verma said.
The diplomat revealed that this incident was part of a disturbing pattern of intimidation by Khalistani supporters, including online harassment and disruptive protests outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada.
“During these so-called protests, I was subjected to shouts and threats. At one event near Diwali, they burned an effigy of me, labeling me as Ravan, and even made posters depicting me riddled with bullets. This constitutes hate speech, doesn’t it?” he remarked.
Verma expressed his frustration at the lack of serious response from Canadian authorities to these threats, highlighting specific instances of intimidation, including the burning of his effigy during Diwali and the creation of posters depicting him with bullet holes.
“It was in Alberta. I am not an expert on Canadian law about open carrying so I will not be able to say that. But most likely they would have said that it was ‘kirpan’ which is a small blade whereas they had swords in their hand. They could come very, very close to me,” he said.
Verma acknowledged feeling threatened during these incidents but maintained confidence in the professionalism of the Canadian security forces assigned to protect him. He criticised the slow progress of investigations into these incidents, highlighting the lack of accountability for those involved in the intimidation and threats.
“Some came through emails during the so-called protests, which I call hooliganism when they gathered in front of the two consulates or the High Commission. They would shout slogans to intimidate us. Whenever we were attending public events, again, they would shout slogans to intimidate us,” he said.
“I reported this to the foreign ministry. The response was that we forwarded it to the relevant authorities, which is correct. We also do the same. But the report never came back. Okay. So we presume that nothing happened. So we presume that it went into a black box. Not to come out,” he added.
Verma’s recall to India follows strained diplomatic relations between the two countries, triggered by allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing India of involvement in the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Verma vehemently denied these accusations, calling them baseless and motivated, while accusing Canada of harbouring extremist elements.
“While diplomacy often involves cordiality, the ultimate goal is safeguarding our nation’s interests,” Verma concluded, highlighting the challenges faced in navigating these difficult circumstances and the need for Canada to take concrete action to address the threat of Khalistani extremism within its borders.
