Canada: So-called 'Khalistan Referendum' discredited again for show of AK-47 in promotional material

The organisers of the so-called 'Khalistan Referendum' in Canada faced a significant setback as Canadian authorities revoked permission to conduct the purported vote that calls for India's division.

Originally scheduled for September 10 at Tamanawis Secondary School in Surrey, British Columbia, the event's cancellation was announced by a spokesperson for the Surrey District School Board who cited a purported violation of the rental agreement.

The reason for withdrawing permission was the inclusion of images of the school alongside images of a weapon in promotional materials for the event, which prominently featured both an AK-47 machine gun and a kirpan.

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The event organisers did not remove these problematic images, and the materials continued to circulate in Surrey and on social media.

The decision was communicated to the event organisers, with a clear emphasis on the school district's primary mission to provide quality education, support students, and maintain a safe environment for school communities. This mission is upheld through agreements, policies, and guidelines, including those for rentals, which must be adhered to by anyone renting the facilities.

Maninder Gill, president of the Surrey-based Friends of Canada and India Foundation, expressed his organisation's approval of the decision.

Also watch |Delhi: At least 6 metro stations painted with pro-Khalistan slogans

Last week, concerned Indo-Canadians, disturbed by the referendum and its use of a government school, lodged complaints with the school board regarding the widespread presence of posters featuring Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the Air India flight 182 terrorist bombing in 1985.

These concerns were articulated in a letter from Concerned Residents of Surrey, which also highlighted the image of the AK-47.

The letter held the School Board, the City of Surrey, and the Provincial Government of BC accountable for what it deemed as the promotion of gun violence.

In a formal communication to Global Affairs Canada, New Delhi has already expressed its displeasure over the use of Canadian territory for the separatist referendum.

While a new date for the so-called referendum has not been announced, Gurpatwant Pannun, the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), called for pro-Khalistan elements to "lock down" India’s Consulate in Vancouver on September 8.

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