In a shocking development, a gurdwara in the United Kingdom (UK) has been allowed to keep boards featuring the word “Khalistan.” The watchdog for the UK’s charity sector ruled that it had found in its investigation into Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Slough that the “Khalistan boards” did not violate the political guidance for charities operating in the country.
Disregarding security intelligence from India concerning Khalistani radicalisation, the Charity Commission on said that while its wider probe into Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Slough remains ongoing, the specific issue of the Khalistan signage does not amount to a breach of its political campaigning guidelines.
The case is from 2019 when an Indian journalist came across a “Khalistan board” on the premises of the place of worship. However, the committee of the gurdwara reportedly defended the use of these plaques as “religious” rather than political.
In 2019, an Indian journalist visiting the Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha, Slough, in the Berkshire county of southeast England, found a large “Khalistan board” inside the premises.
She then filed a complaint with the Charity Commission, which regulates the UK’s charities. Notably, gurdwaras are registered as charities in the UK as they are for public benefit.
The matter of displaying Khalistan banners or plaques at the gurdwara was raised with the independent watchdog for review. Last December, the commission told the trustees of the gurdwara to take down the plaques by March 10, 2025. However, they were never removed.
The gurdwara’s management tried to portray the Charity Commission’s ultimatum as “bullying” and “interference in Panthic affairs,” reported Khalsa Vox. The ultimatum led to a meeting among several Sikh organisations and three Sikh MPs — Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, Preet Kaur Gill, and Jas Athwal — with top officials at the commission to resolve the issue.
Five years after the issue was flagged, the UK’s commission has decided that the boards can stay, noting that the word “Khalistan” has an important religious meaning, while it is a political term for some.
The panel concluded that the charity was acting within its religious objectives, as the Khalistan boards did not promote material calling for a political state.
This allowance of keeping the word “Khalistan” on a board is facing backlash among netizens and people in India.
The UK, USA, Canada, and Australia have often been seen as safe havens for Khalistan supporters. In recent years, these countries have witnessed several pro-Khalistan activities, including rallies, vandalism, and intimidation of those opposing the movement. In the UK and other nations, incidents have been reported where temples were defaced with pro-Khalistan slogans, creating tension within the Indian diaspora.
The Khalistan movement seeks to break Punjab away from India to form a separate Sikh state. These overseas activities have raised concerns about the spread of separatist propaganda and its impact on community harmony abroad.
Notably, last week, in another provocative move, the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in collaboration with the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, has opened a so-called “Embassy of Khalistan.” The makeshift diplomatic post, bearing signage of the fictional “Republic of Khalistan,” has been set up within a building on the gurdwara premises, raising fresh concerns over Canada’s handling of anti-India extremism.
This development comes just weeks after Canada’s intelligence agency, CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service), publicly acknowledged that Khalistani extremists continue to use Canadian soil as a base for promoting, fundraising, and planning violence—primarily targeting India. It marked the first time CSIS explicitly named Khalistani elements in its annual report as a politically motivated violent extremism (PMVE) threat.
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