TORONTO, Canada: Tens of thousands of Sikhs staged mass protests across Canada, with large marches in Toronto and Vancouver, accusing New Delhi of orchestrating a transnational campaign of terror and violence against Sikh leaders in the global diaspora, organisers and participants said.
Protesters carried placards denouncing “state-sponsored terror” and demanded urgent action from Canadian authorities after high-profile killings and foiled assassination plots linked by prosecutors and intelligence agencies to agents of the Indian government.
Organisers said tens of thousands took part in downtown marches in Toronto and Vancouver, where crowds blocked thoroughfares and chanted slogans calling for justice for slain activists. Similar demonstrations were reported in several other Canadian cities.
The protestors expose India’s “hypocrisy” while claiming to be a democracy, it continues to suppress dissent through assassination and prosecution, denying Sikhs basic human rights instead of addressing their legitimate grievances.
“People have come out in their thousands to demand protection and accountability,” an organiser in Surrey, British Columbia, said.
Massive rallies were also held in Indian Punjab where Sikh protesters slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s atrocities.
To all the Hindus that say, “Khalistan is only alive in the West,” here’s a massive rally in Punjab. Khalistan has gained more traction than ever. pic.twitter.com/DpFOzlrcqb
— TempleWolf (@WeWereSinghs) October 26, 2025
Ashok Singh said Sikhs should not waste their time pursuing the idea of Khalistan. He stated that the true destiny of Sikhs lies in leading and governing India as patriots. Despite their small numbers, he added, Sikhs can once again aspire to rule India, as they did during the era of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Remembrance rally held by Sikh Sovereigntists addressing transnational repression, assassinations, and crimes by the Indian state in Canada. Brampton Canada October 25, 2025.
Come and vote in Khalistan Referendum on
November 23, 2025, in Ottawa, Canada pic.twitter.com/oYLY9IKT7X— ਪੁੰਨਾ ਸਿੰਘ (@Pungaar1) October 25, 2025
Nijjar killing and assassination plots
The protests centre on the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
The then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly said in September 2023 that Ottawa had “credible allegations” linking Nijjar’s killing to agents of the Indian government — an allegation New Delhi has denied as “absurd”.
Canadian police accused Indian agents of involvement in “homicides, extortion and violent acts” and targeting supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate homeland for Sikhs in India.
Protesters and campaign groups pointed to subsequent legal and investigative developments that, they say, show a pattern of transnational targeting.
Huge Khalistan Car Rally in Toronto.
Khalistan Referendum Will take place on November 23 in Ottawa. pic.twitter.com/dwWD6RLhV7— Jagdeep Singh (Journalist) (@NyJagdeepsingh) October 25, 2025
In October 2024, US prosecutors charged a former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, in a plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US-based Sikh activist.
The Southern District of New York indictment accused Yadav of directing a foiled assassination-for-hire scheme and naming another accused, Nikhil Gupta, who was later extradited to the United States. The US Department of Justice said those charges included murder-for-hire and money-laundering counts.
More recently, court filings in New York have linked Gupta and Yadav to Nijjar’s killing, according to media reports and US prosecutors.
Those filings — disclosed in federal court documents in September 2025 and reported by Bloomberg — allege the plot extended beyond the United States, potentially involving targets in other countries.
Protesters also cited reports that Canadian authorities designated a criminal group known as the Bishnoi Gang as a violent organisation linked to Indian intelligence operations targeting Sikh activists abroad.
Diplomatic fallout and denials
The allegations have produced a diplomatic rupture between Ottawa and New Delhi. In 2023, the two countries expelled ambassadors and recalled diplomats in a rare escalation between neighbours and allies.
In the lead-up to the Khalistan referendum voting on November 23, significant developments are unfolding in Ottawa. In Brampton, activist Inderjeet Singh Gosel, known as @Warrior9Singh, continues to advocate for the Khalistan referendum despite facing threats from Indian… pic.twitter.com/m3wm980RMG
— Bal kaur (@Balkaur07527817) October 25, 2025
Canada’s national security adviser has previously described India as one of the top sources of foreign interference in Canada.
India has rejected allegations that its agencies were involved in extrajudicial killings overseas, describing such claims as “absurd”.
New Delhi says it cooperates with international investigations and has carried out internal reviews.
Concerns over transnational repression
Sikh community leaders and human rights campaigners said that protesters fear a pattern of intimidation that goes beyond isolated incidents.
They argue that the Indian government’s covert surveillance, harassment and use of criminal networks to target dissidents represent a growing challenge to diaspora safety and to the sovereignty of host countries.
“Diaspora communities must be able to speak freely and assemble without fear of cross-border violence,” one campaigner said.
Protesters demanded that Canadian authorities and international partners pursue full, transparent investigations into foreign links to killings and attempted assassinations and ensure accountability where state actors are implicated.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh activist and advocate for an independent Khalistan state, was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
His killing triggered a diplomatic crisis after Canada’s prime minister said intelligence linked the murder to agents of the Indian state. India denies involvement.
Subsequent US indictments and court filings have alleged plots involving individuals linked to India’s external intelligence apparatus; those accused have pleaded not guilty and legal proceedings are ongoing.
