Crackdown on Amritpal Singh: Canadian diaspora concerned over suspension of mobile internet in Punjab

Diaspora in Canada are coming out in support of Khalistani sympathiser and 'Waris Punjab De' chief Amritpal Singh and urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to immediately contact their Indian counterparts to express concern regarding the suspension of civil liberties and the safety of Canadians abroad.

Jagmeet Singh, pro-Khalistan Canadian lawmaker and Leader of Canada's New Democratic Party, tweeted: "I am deeply concerned by reports that India has suspended civil liberties and imposed an internet blackout throughout the state of Punjab."

"These draconian measures are unsettling for many given their historical use to execute extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during the 1984 Sikh Genocide," he tweeted.

"I am calling on Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government to immediately contact their Indian counterparts to express concern regarding the suspension of civil liberties and the safety of Canadians abroad," he added.

"I am receiving calls from my residents and am deeply concerned about reports coming out of Punjab, India regarding SMS and internet blackouts," tweeted Sonia Sidhu, Member of Parliament for Brampton South, on Sunday.

"I hope the situation is resolved soon & Canadians travelling to the region are able to connect with their families and friends in Canada."

Voicing similar concern, Iqwinder S. Gaheer, MP for Mississauga-Malton, tweeted: "I am troubled by what I am hearing from constituents and the reports coming out of Punjab, India: authorities have enacted the mass suspension of internet services and are preventing gatherings of more than 4."

"Civil rights and liberties should be maintained in a democracy."

Notably ,since Trudeau's Liberal Party came to power in 2015, anti-India elements have been very active in Canada and offending the heterogeneity that has prevailed in India since time immemorial.

In Canada, Khalistani elements -- fundamentalist groups, such as the Babbar Khalsa International, the International Sikh Youth Federation, and the Sikhs for Justice, which all seek secession of Punjab from secular India, have increasingly been engaged in anti-India activities. Presently, some Canada-based radicals and gangsters are said to directing secessionist activities in India from there.

An official tells OneIndia that the Khalistan movement has not gained much traction in India. However these so-called liberal governments in the West especially in Canada have helped these anti-India forces gain traction. For years now they have been protecting these people and from there they have been able to launch attacks in India.

The Khalistan movement and their honchos are largely found in Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. It is quite surprising that in the name of freedom of speech, these elements are allowed to operate in these countries.

Meanwhile, the massive police search operation continued on the second day on Sunday to arrest Sikh radical Amritpal Singh, head of 'Waris Punjab De'.