India serves demarche on Ottawa over ‘referendum’

New Delhi, October 14

India has again taken up with Canada the plan by separatists to hold a second “referendum” on Khalistan in Toronto on November 6. While a demarche has been served on Ottawa, a detailed discussion was held with Canadian diplomats here.

“We have taken up the matter with the Canadian High Commission here in Delhi and also in Canada. We will continue to raise this issue in New Delhi and Ottawa,’’ MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the media.

Banned in India, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has declared they would hold a second “referendum” on Khalistan. With Interpol having denied India’s request to issue a red corner notice against SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Khalistan separatists are believed to be going out full throttle to advertise the so-called referendum.

They have chosen November for the “referendum” because the anti-Sikh riots in India after the assassination of then PM Indira Gandhi in 1984 took place in November. Canada routinely says it does not recognise the “referendum” but India points out that the previous cycle of violence and bloodletting in Punjab also arose from similar provocations.

Talk about a second “referendum” had started within days of the first one amid claims that 1.1 lakh Sikhs had participated. Videos, however, showed a crowd of about 1,000 milling around a building in Brampton.