A group of Sikh activists took to the steps of the B.C. legislature on Thursday (Jan. 8), waving Khalistan flags and urging Premier David Eby to cancel his upcoming India trip. They say the India trip sends the wrong message after the death in Surrey of fellow Sikh activist Hardeep Nijjar in 2023, allegedly shot by Indian hitmen. Four men have been arrested and charged with the murder. “The killers are in custody, foot soldiers are in custody, but who’s behind it?” asked Jag Sidhu, a spokesperson for rally organizer Sikhs For Justice.
Eby is set to leave on the trade trip on Friday with Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon. “If you are going to trade deal with India without accountability, without any answers, without any justice for a Canadian citizen, we want you step down,” Sidhu said. Eby defended his trip on Tuesday when he first announced it, saying when asked about the Nijjar killing that it is up to the courts to bring those responsible to justice, and up to the federal government to deal with any diplomatic fallout. Eby’s trip is purely about economic ties. The Sikh activists were unconvinced, holding signs that read “Do not choose business over blood.” Sidhu called on NDP MLAs from Surrey — there are four – to condemn Eby’s trip to India, warning that otherwise Sikh activists will work to unseat them. The latest figures from Statistics Canada show more than 290,000 Sikhs were living in B.C. at the time of the 2021 census, with nearly 155,000 of them in Surrey. “You will learn a lesson Eby in the next election, and your MLAs will learn too,” Sidhu said.
