SFJ alleges Indian diplomat sought hitman in plot targeting Khalistan organizer

WASHINGTON D.C. — A U.S.-based Sikh rights group has accused an Indian diplomat stationed in Canada of attempting to contract a hitman to assassinate a key organizer of the Khalistan referendum campaign.

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) claims Canadian intelligence and law enforcement agencies were alerted to what it calls a “contract-to-kill” scheme targeting Inderjeet Singh Gosal, one of the group’s organizers. According to SFJ, the alleged plot mirrors intelligence warnings the group believes preceded the June 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

The group alleges a serving Indian diplomat in Ottawa offered $50,000 in cash for Gosal’s assassination. SFJ says the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has placed Gosal under witness protection in light of what it describes as an imminent threat. Canadian authorities have so far issued no public statements on the matter.

SFJ’s general counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said the organization chose to reveal the allegations to prevent “another assassination of a pro-Khalistan Sikh on Canadian soil.”

Pannun added that multiple Canadian security agencies, including the RCMP, have evaluated the intelligence surrounding the suspected plot, which he says was conveyed to senior government offices — among them Prime Minister Mark Carney, Foreign Minister Anita Anand, and the Minister of Public Safety.

He further argued that the situation reflects, in SFJ’s view, insufficient pressure on New Delhi. “Gosal’s contract-to-kill plot is the direct outcome of Prime Minister Carney opening trade talks with Modi without demanding accountability,” Pannun said.

SFJ has also urged its supporters to closely track public appearances of Indian High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik, claiming such vigilance is necessary to prevent further attempts on Sikh activists abroad. To date, no independent evidence has substantiated the group’s allegations.

During a recent protest in Canada, SFJ supporters burned an effigy of Patnaik — a demonstration the group says underscores what it views as a consistent pattern of Indian government repression overseas.