Representative image showing Khalistan flags.
Credit: Reuters Photo
In Canada, an immigration tribunal ruled that a Sikh man who "housed and fed Khalistani militants in India" be allowed into the country since he did so "mostly out of necessity" and fearing retribution, as per National Post.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) argued that Kamaljit Singh, an Indian citizen, was ineligible to enter the North American country since their immigration laws prohibit individuals engaging in or instigating "subversion by force of any government" from entering.
The Indian had told Canada's border authorities that he fed and sheltered armed Sikh militants at his farm back in India intermittently between 1982 and 1992, National Post reported.
Ram also told the authorities that he was a supporter of ideas for a separate Sikh state propagated by followers of the late Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was a leading figure in the pro-Khalistan movement.
The Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) tribunal, however, said in a recent ruling that it didn't have "reasonable grounds" to stop him from entering Canada, as per the report.
Heidi Worsfold, IRB tribunal member, noted that the government failed to take note in its assessment that the Indian repeatedly said his acceptance to host armed individuals sprung from his fear of "consequences" of being caught on the wrong side of the separatist group.
"The atmosphere in the Sikh community of the 1980s was rife with militancy where groups of militants, including the Sant Bhinderwale followers, as well as police created an atmosphere of fear and distrust among many of the local residents," the ruling reads, as per National Post and adds that Ram was left with "no choice" but to provide aid. It also noted that Ram, though sympathetic to the idea of a separate Khalistan for Sikhs, appeared to have had stopped supporting the cause well before the armed rebellion, and was not a member of armed militias either.
The ruling comes at a time when tensions are high between India and Canada, after the latter accused the Narendra Modi-led government of being involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist in Canada. India has for its part denied the allegations, but diplomatic ties between the nations have hit rock bottom as a result,.