Left: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Right: SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun
Social media platforms like YouTube and X have blocked access to the documentary on Khalistan separatist and extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which have appeared on a Canada based media channel reported an Indian news agency. The 45-minute-long episode of The Fifth Estate Investigative Program has been taken down from social media platforms at India’s request.
The documentary also featured Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and was released on March 8, 2024, nearly nine months after the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The documentary also featured the CCTV footage of the murder of Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India.
The action was taken on the video after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology directed YouTube to restrict its access from India reported an Indian media agency referring to the Canadian media announcement. The video is still available on the platform and can be accessed by anyone living elsewhere in the world.
The documentary showed the footage of Nijjar’s murder which took place inside the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara in British Columbia in 2023. In the CCTV footage of the murder Nijjar can be seen driving a pickup truck. He was shot dead after his vehicle was blocked by a white sedan near the parking lot exit gate.
In the programme, the Canadian media had stated it had contacted India’s High Commission in Ottawa to participate but had not received a response. While India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma has appeared on multiple Canadian networks and been interviewed by several outlets, Canda based media were not among them.
The program also included a long interview with SFJ Leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. In January 2024, Pannun was allegedly seen issuing threats to PM Modi ahead of the Republic Day celebrations.
In a viral video, he could be seen as saying “I dare Modi, you come to Delhi without your security. If you are a popular leader then come on Republic Day without your security and SFJ is going to avenge the assassination of Shaheed Nijjar by raising the Khalistani flag. “The documentary was called biased and propaganda by some members of the Indian-Canadian community members the Indian media organisation said.
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