Indian Ambassador to 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.
“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.
There has been a rise in pro-Khalistani incidents by extremist elements
in countries like Canada, UK, Australia and even 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 organized 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 inputs were a cause of concern
for both countries and necessary follow-up action is being taken.
ANI
