Khalistanis want Indo-Canadian leader assassinated

VANCOUVER - Using Facebook, Sikh extremists have called for the assassination of top Indo-Canadian leader and former health minister Ujjal Dosanjh for his opposition to Khalistani radicals.

Postings have appeared on Facebook in a page called ‘Ujjal Dosanjh is a Sikh Traitor,’ seeking elimination of the former British Columbian premier who has been the only Indian-origin leader to staunchly oppose Sikh hardliners in Canada.

“Someone shoot him - ASAP (as soon as possible),” reads one post from Bobby Grewal who says he is based in London.

Another poster identifying himself as Sukhi Loco Singh says: “Do not spare anyone who insults guru ji-shaheed sant jarnail Singh ji Khalsa bhindranwale.”

Yet another poster, from Ranjha Singh Khalsa, says that Punjabis must “do everything to the extreme, but do it smart, you got me?”

Facebook page administrator Avtar Kanda goes on to say that Dosanjh “used his Sikh roots to get elected in Vancouver but then betrayed his own people.

“This piece of s… is a traitor and an insult to the Sikh religion.”

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they were taking these threats very seriously.

“We are aware of them and we are going to look into them. Obviously we take that very, very seriously,” RCMP spokesman Paul Richards told the Canadian media.

Reacting to the fresh threats to his life after last week’s warning by hardliners to him not to appear at a Vaisakhi fair here where Khalistan flags and slogans were raised, Dosanjh said he was shocked to read such hateful comments of Facebook.

“What is even more disturbing is that these comments have been posted by young men and women who are born, raised and educated here. A very small minority (among Canadian Sikhs) is hell bent upon the idea of Khalistan, and they are poisoning the minds of their kids. This does not augur well for Canada,” Dosanjh told IANS.

“If you tell your kids that people who killed 329 people in the Air India bombing are martyrs, they will become violent people when they grow up. This is happening in many other immigrant communities who have brought into Canada their problems from their homelands. If this trend continues, I wonder what Canada will look like in 50 years. We (Canada) are tearing ourselves apart on foreign issues,” said an outraged Dosanjh.

“Of course, it is Canada’s problem, but India will have to wake up to Khalistani elements here trying to revive militancy in Punjab.”