Army figure calls for Indian govt to pay “San Francisco underworld” to target Sikhs
Over the last few days, Indian nationalist commentators and media have accused “Khalistanis” (supporters of a free Sikh homeland) of being behind a minor fire at the San Francisco (USA) India Consulate building. However, Hindu extremist Youtuber Gaurav Arya, a former Indian Army Major, has taken the issue further, by demanding the Indian State hire hitmen to attack American Sikhs. Read below for more.
Fanatical Hindu extremist Indian nationalist youtuber Gaurav Arya is receiving widespread condemnation for his latest video, in which he demands the Indian State fund American criminals to target Sikhs.
The rabid rant came after former Indian Army Major Arya, who has ongoing rape and murder accusations against him, accused Khalistanis of being behind a fire at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco (2nd July 2am). Although San Francisco Fire Department Media have said the incident is being investigated and did not name any suspects, various Indian nationalist commentators and media outlets were quick to blame Khalistanis.
The Khalistan movement, born out of Sikh ideals of sovereignty and fueled by ongoing mistreatment of the 2% Sikh populace of India, including the state perpetrated Sikh genocide, is venomously opposed by Hindu nationalists in view of their Bharat Mata (Mother India) concept.
Videos and images of the alleged attack seem to be producing more confusion, as pro-Khalistan graffiti seen in one image being shared was not visible the next morning on the building (see below). The graffiti was not mentioned in a media statement from the San Francisco Fire Department, which described the incident as “smoldering debris fire on the sidewalk and front door” which caused only “exterior damage to the front door and entryway”, possibly suggesting this was not an attempt to actually burn the building down. The video the next day showed little-to-zero signs of fire damage.
The call for India to use “the underworld” and “mafia” in American cities to target Khalistanis will be particularly worrying for Sikh communities right now, as many believe Canadian criminal gang hitmen were hired by the Indian State for the assassination of pro-Khalistan community leader Shaheed (martyr) Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead by two assailants in the Gurdwara where he was President in Surrey (BC, Canada) just two weeks ago. Similarly, Khalistani figure Bhai Paramjit Singh Panjwar was gunned down in May in Pakistan, whilst investigations into the death of Bhai Avtar Singh Khanda in the UK via possible poisoning continue.
Arya’s rant follows a series of reports from Indian media making completely fabricated accusations towards Sikhs and so-called “attacks” on Indian Consulate buildings in Canada and the UK. During an India Times Now TV broadcast in March, international rights expert Professor Andrew Macleod went viral for condemning Indian media hyperbole in calling protests outside the UK India High Commission “terrorism”. Since then, Indian outlets have even ridiculously claimed “grenades” were thrown at Canadian Indian High Commission buildings.
Accusations of vandalism on Mandirs (Hindu temples) in Australia have also caused controversy, with many Sikhs highlighting how Hindi-style spelling and graffiti tags such as “BBC” do not correlate with the idea Khalistanis (who are near exclusively Sikh Punjabi in background) are behind the acts. Most recently, New South Wales Police requested help finding a car emblazoned with the word “HARYANA” which was seen leaving one of the graffiti crime scenes after an incident. Haryana is a Hindu-majority state. Since the request, there has been no update on the investigation, confirmed by NSW Police in correspondence with Sikh PA.
News of Haryanis engaging in attacks on pro-Khalistan Sikhs has been reported in Canada and Australia. One anti-Sikh figure – criminal Vishal Jood – was deported from Australia in 2021 for leading a gang attacking Sikhs. Upon his arrival back in India, Jood was greeted as a hero. Read more on these issues in Australia here.
Arya’s call for India to spend millions to use criminals to attack Khalistanis will only strengthen ongoing Sikh efforts to have Indian foreign interference investigated in countries such as Canada, the UK, Australia and now the USA.
Yet, as if to double down on the threats, Arya today released a “WANTED” poster on American Sikh and Khalistan figure Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, whilst fellow Hindu extremist media figure Aditya Raj Kaul shared another poster featuring the crossed-out faces of recently passed Khalistan figures, with Pannun’s image remaining uncrossed. Pannun’s crime to Indian nationalists has been running a non-binding democratic Khalistan referendum event, legally taking place already in countries like the UK, Italy, Australia and Canada, with more events to come. For this the respected lawyer has been labelled a terrorist by the Indian State and seemingly become a public national enemy.
Speaking on Arya’s call for collusion between criminal gangs and India, Sikh Press Association Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh said:
“Firstly, the fact that someone with serious rape and murder allegations against them can become a major media figure says everything about the type of country India currently is.
“Beyond that, the threats Arya has made must be taken very seriously. This call for terrorism in the USA must result in action by US authorities, lest they overlook what is a threat to all Americans. There are reports that hitmen were solicited using the dark-web for the assassination of Shaheed Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Rather than steer away from these allegations, Arya has now championed them and shown them to be true to the desires of Hindu extremists.
“Sikh communities across the globe will continue to lose faith in their respective government’s if this Hindutva terrorism is not adequately addressed. Not only is Arya threatening the hundreds of thousands of Sikhs whom support Khalistan, he is also threatening the USA itself with becoming a lawless country where criminals can act upon the directions of foreign nations.”
For more Sikh reaction on this story or anything else, media can contact The Sikh Press Association at media@sikhpa.com.
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