Last Updated: November 16, 2023, 15:38 IST
Khalistani groups are upset because of the turnout at these life certificate camps, sources said. (Representative image/Reuters)
The Indian High Commission has been organising life certificate camps for elderly people who have served in the Government of India and are now drawing pensions. Khalistani elements at these camps are abusing the elderly people, calling them ‘agents and spies of the Indian government’, sources said
The outlawed pro-Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has warned Sikhs in Canada against attending camps organised by the Indian High Commission to help the elderly with life certificate submissions to continue drawing pensions from the Indian government, sources told News18.
The Indian High Commission has been organising life certificate camps for elderly people who have served in the Government of India and are now drawing pensions. To make the process easier for senior citizens, the High Commissions had asked consulates across Canada to organise such camps locally.
“These Khalistani groups are abusing the elderly people, calling them ‘agents and spies of the Indian government’,” a source said. News18 had earlier reported on how an 80-year-old man had to endure abuses for picking up an Indian flag that fell to the ground.
Diplomatic relations between Canada and India have been fraught since Primer Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in the Canadian town of Surrey.
Days after Trudeau’s allegations, India announced temporarily suspending the issuance of visas to Canadian citizens and asked Ottawa to downsize its diplomatic presence in the country to ensure parity. India has since resumed the issuance of four types of visas for Canadians. Canada has already withdrawn 41 diplomats and their family members from India.
“Khalistani groups are upset because of the turnout at these life certificate camps. It is important to note that these goons are not locally supported. Camps are mostly held in the Gurudwara with due permission from the Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee,” another source said. “But these people are just not bothered about the elderly.”
Submission of life certificate is a routine and mandatory exercise for any Indian availing pension from the Indian government, whether within the country or abroad.
The SFJ had recently disrupted an Indian High Commission event organised by the Khalsa Diwan Society Abbotsford in Canada to issue life certificates to community members. During the event, which saw a huge turnout, SFJ elements targeted a local Sikh family – an elderly man, his son and grandson.
The Sikh family was at the Gurudwara Sahib to obtain a life certificate for the aged grandfather. The family was attacked by pro-Khalistani referendum elements from the SFJ for reportedly attempting to pick up an Indian flag from the ground.