Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was mobbed and heckled by a group of pro-Khalistani elements while on a visit to the Hicksville Gurdwara in Long Island, New York. The Ambassador had gone to the Gurdwara to offer prayers on the occasion of Gurpurab.
According to a purported video shared on various social media accounts, Sandhu can be seen being confronted by extremist elements who were making statements about India designated terrorists Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The Indian envoy could be seen leaving the premises in his vehicle, while a lone protestor raised the Khalistani flag outside the Gurdwara. Indian envoy to the US Taranjit Sandhu had visited the Guru Nanak Darbar in Long Island, New York and joined the local Sangat to celebrate Gurpurab.
#WATCH | New York: Indian Ambassador to US Taranjit Singh Sandhu says, "We need to learn from the heritage that we have received… The Sikhs who came from Afghanistan, have faced hard times… The Sikhs of Afghanistan have an old link… They have shown in actual practice how… pic.twitter.com/YuX3db9l2w
— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2023
“Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, and equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all,” Sandhu posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, & equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all. pic.twitter.com/i45M2TuSdf
— Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) November 27, 2023
There has been a rise in pro-Khalistani incidents by extremist elements in countries like Canada, the UK, Australia and even the US. In a shocking incident in July, a group of Khalistan extremists had indulged in an arson attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco.
After a probe was launched into the incident, India requested evidence from the US authorities regarding suspects of the attack under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) in connection with the case.
In a separate incident in March, the Indian Consulate in San Francisco came under attack from suspected Khalistani elements. After the incident India had registered its “strong protest” with the United States calling for “appropriate measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents”.
Notably, this is the second such incident involving the heckling of an Indian envoy by Pro Khalistan elements in a span of around two months.
Earlier in September, Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Vikram Doraiswami was stopped from entering a Gurdwara in Glasgow, Scotland. According to a purported video posted on the Instagram channel of ‘Sikh Youth UK,’ a pro-Khalistani activist was seen blocking Doraiswami from entering the Glasgow Gurdwara on Albert Drive.
Following this, India taken up its concerns regarding the security of diplomats and premises with the UK authorities.
Last week, the US had also shared some inputs pertaining to the nexus between organised criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others during the course of recent discussions on India-US security cooperation, the Ministry of External Affairs had said in a statement.
The MEA said India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on its own security interests as well. The MEA said the the inputs were a cause of concern for both countries and necessary follow-up action is being taken.
(with inputs from ANI)
