- Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi said many Sikhs in his constituency Slough and elsewhere contacted him following Canada’s claims and they were ‘anxious, angry and fearful’.
By: Shubham Ghosh
BRITISH Labour parliamentarian Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi on Tuesday (19) reacted to allegations brought by Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau against India over its potential link with the assassination of Khalistan separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada’s British Columbia in June saying many “anxious, angry and fearful Sikhs” spoke to him after the matter saw a sharp escalation.
The 45-year-old shadow exchequer secretary to the treasury of Indian-origin said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, “Concerning reports coming from #Canada. Many #Sikhs from #Slough and beyond have contacted me; anxious, angry or fearful. Given Canadian PM Trudeau stated they’ve been working with close allies, we’re in touch with UK Gov to ensure justice is delivered.”
Concerning reports coming from #Canada.
Many #Sikhs from #Slough and beyond have contacted me; anxious, angry or fearful.
Given Canadian PM Trudeau stated they’ve been working with close allies, we’re in touch with UK Gov to ensure justice is delivered.https://t.co/U4ceflJmHq
— Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP (@TanDhesi) September 19, 2023
“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said.
The Narendra Modi government rejected Canada’s claims linking Indian agents behind the gunning down of Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, and called them “absurd” and “motivated”. The two countries also ended up expelling each other’s diplomats with India retaliating against Canada’s move.
We’re in touch with the UK gvt and our allies in Canada about very concerning allegations relating to Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder. The rule of law must always be followed and national sovereignty must never be violated. The investigation must bring those responsible to justice.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) September 19, 2023
Dhesi also reposted a tweet from fellow Labour MP and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy who said, “We’re in touch with the UK gvt and our allies in Canada about very concerning allegations relating to Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder. The rule of law must always be followed and national sovereignty must never be violated. The investigation must bring those responsible to justice.”
It may be mentioned here that Dhesi was stopped by the immigration officials at the airport in Amritsar in the northern Indian state of Punjab in August over the validation of his Overseas Citizen of India document. He was on a personal visit to his village in Punjab’s Jalandhar district with his family that had reached before.
Dhesi, who was the shadow minister of rail then, said that the authorities in India were trying to label him as “anti-India” for speaking out in favour of vulnerable sections such as Sikhs and Muslims, India’s Hindustan Times newspaper reported. He accused the authorities of humiliating at the airport for two hours and said that such tactics would not deter him from speaking up against anti-minority decisions.
