Sikh Coalition Report: There Is Transnational Repression Against US Sikhs

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – The Sikh Coalition, the US-based Sikh advocacy organization, has released a comprehensive report exploring both historical and recent transnational repression against Sikhs in the United States. Titled “So Many Targets: Contextualizing Modern Indian Transnational Repression Against the Sikh Community,” the report aims to provide policymakers, the media, and civil rights allies with a deeper understanding of the threats facing the Sikh community.

The report details both historical and contemporary events driving Indian transnational repression against the Sikh diaspora. It examines various forms of repression, drawing from direct interviews conducted by the Sikh Coalition with individuals and gurdwaras, as well as publicly available sources.

One of the report’s key findings is the difficulty in formulating a strong response when US strategic interests are involved. It highlights the Biden Administration’s cautious stance on Indian transnational repression and the Trump Administration’s inadequate reaction to a high-profile case of Saudi Arabian transnational repression in 2018.

“Sikh civil rights and lives in one place,” said Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition. “We hope this report will serve as a valuable resource for individuals not familiar with the scope and urgency of this threat—particularly policymakers, who must take further action to protect not just the Sikh community but all communities from transnational repression.”

The report cites the Canadian intelligence agencies that are investigating “credible allegations of a potential link” between the Indian government and the murder of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023. It also notes that in the US, the White House had stated it viewed the reported involvement of the Indian intelligence service in assassination plots on its soil as a very serious matter. The U.S. Justice Department has charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta in an attempt to kill a Khalistani on its soil.