Ritu Jha (reporting from San Francisco)–
Among the many pro-Khalistan protesters outside the San Francisco consulate on July 8 was Surinderjit Kaur, councilmember of Fremont Gurdwara Sahib. She was seen distributing flyers to passers-by during the protest.
When indica reached out to her asking why she is protesting, she replied, “India is oppressing Sikhs and other minorities. Today, we are protesting the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar by India.” Nijjar, president of a Sikh temple in Canada, was the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force and a campaigner for the creation of Khalistan. He was killed in an attack by unidentified assailants on June 19 when he was exiting the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, Vancouver.
Kaur, a teacher by profession, was with her son and daughter-in-law, who were also distributing flyers that said ‘India is a nation of violence’. She said: “A separate Sikh state is a solution for the safety of everybody, for the peace in that part of the continent. We include everybody and we serve everybody and spread peace, and spread the message of Sikhism.”
She added, “I am concerned about the safety of myself, my people at large, and especially the safety of my family. India is spreading lies, false propaganda about minorities, and then they kill people.”
She echoed what other Khalistani support groups have been saying about the July 2 arson incident at the San Francisco consulate.
“It is a prime example of false propaganda,” she said. “They spread this news about the fire near the consulate. Before the SF police department could investigate and find the people responsible, the Indian media are blaming it on Khalistanis. They are faster than the SFPD, they are faster than the authorities. It seems that they have a problem even if a Sikh breathes. Somebody lit a fire outside to debris, and they’re saying Sikhs lit the consulate on fire, and then those videos, those fabricated videos are spreading everywhere. Because they control the media, they spread false news and make people think it’s true.”
Kaur says she calls herself Punjabi, but not Indian. “We don’t have a sovereign country, India took it over. Whatever was promised was never delivered, so we are stuck with India right now. But when we are out here in the US, it is the job of the Indian embassies and ambassadors to protect their people, but they are not protecting us and are killing our people. So, people are angry because they (Indian authorities) are siding with the killers.”
She then referred to the so-called referendum organized by the outlawed ‘Sikhs for Justice’, an organization founded and headed by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. “There is a referendum in the West, and we hope there will be one in India as as well. We are asking Sikhs and Punjabis whether they want to stay with India, or have their own nation. Indians, Punjabis and Sikhs are using peaceful, democratic ways to raise their voice. And this government is saying that the people who are raising their voices are terrorists.”
She said the situation in Punjab was bad when she left India for the US, “but it is worse now”.
“There is an epidemic of drugs,” she said. “Our water is diverted and the Indian government is looting our natural resources. My people are forced to migrate to western countries because there aren’t any jobs for them in their homeland. They are not safe there. Anybody who speaks out for freedom, for rights, is put in jail. Amritpal Singh is a recent example of that. They jailed him under National Security Act. Is the national security in danger when a Sikh speaks for his own freedom?”
She said Amritpal invited all of India to talk about this issue in a peaceful manner, but he was still put in jail. “He wanted to hold a dialogue. There cannot be any dialogue till the Modi government is there. All they know is how to kill. But, we are not going to stop. I will keep on as long as I am alive, my people will do the same till the goal of an independent nation is achieved,” she added.
Pro-Khalistan protester in San Francisco: ‘India is oppressing Sikhs and other minorities’
