'Khalistanis threatened me': Canada journalist alleges assault by Khalistan supporters, says 'they acted like thugs'

A Canada-based journalist alleged that he was physically assaulted and threatened by a pro-Khalistan group while reporting on a rally in Vancouver on Sunday (June 8). The journalist, Mocha Bezirgan, said he was targeted for his coverage of Khalistan-related protests.

“It just happened two hours ago and I’m shaken,” Bezirgan told ANI in a phone interview. “They acted like thugs -- crowding in on me, grabbing my phone, trying to stop me recording.” Bezirgan added that the Khalistani extremist movement in Canada has raised serious security concerns and strained ties between India and Canada.

Sharing his ordeal on X, he said, “It just happened 2 hours ago and I am still shaking. I was surrounded by multiple Khalistanis who acted like thugs. They surrounded me, threatened me, and got physical with me, and they grabbed my phone out of my hand.”

He declared that the intimidation tactics by Khalistan supporters would not stop him from his work. "I have been covering Khalistan protests in Canada, UK, US, New Zealand. My only goal is to do independent journalism and record and report what's going on and because I'm editorially independent, this frustrates some people. These intimidation tactics won’t stop me or influence my editorial independence," Bezirgan added.

Mocha Bezirgan also raised concern over the reluctance of Canadian politicians to condemn Kahlistani extremist groups. “Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, the NDP, and some Liberal MPs recently attended a Nagar Kirtan in Surrey, BC, which had significant Khalistani influence. They shared the stage with Santokh Singh Kelha, a convicted Sikh Canadian who conspired to bomb an airplane,” Bezirgan said while speaking to news agency ANI. The journalist condemned what he called the glorification of violence by Khalistan sympathisers.

India has repeatedly raised concerns over Canada for giving a free hand to Khalistani extremists and their supporters. Bilateral relations between the two countries hit rock bottom after the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023. The then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in the murder. India has denied the allegations, calling them "baseless".