Top aide of Hardeep Nijjar, organiser of Khalistan Referendum, attacked in US: Report

A close aide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan extremist killed last year in Canada, was targeted and fired uponin the US. The incident took place on August 11 when Satinder Pal Singh Raju was travelling in a pick-up truck on a California highway, reported Hindustan Times.

Satinder Raju is understood to be a member of the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), outlawed in India under an anti-terror law called UAPA. He is believed to be a close associate of Nijjar and “an active organiser” of the Khalistan Referendum.

Raju is believed to be the mastermind behind the recent so-called Khalistan Referendum in Calgary, Canada.

According to SFJfounder Gurpatwant Pannun, Raju “survived a deadly ambush when the truck he was travelling in was sprayed with bullets by the shooters.”

There are reports that four to five shots were fired at the vehicle.

According to Pannun, Raju had gone underground following the death of Nijjar in June last year and only stepped out in October. He later helped organise the referendum in 2023 at several locations across Canada.

Pannun alleged that the Indian government was engaging in “transnational repression to violently suppress the global Khalistan Referendum campaign.”

As of now, the US authorities have made no arrests in this case.

Another Khalistani leader targeted?

A day before this incident happened, the residence of a former president the Guru Nanak Sikh temple in Surrey, which Hardeep Nijjar led till his death, was also fired upon several times.

On August 10, the house of Raghbir Nijjar was targeted in Canada.

A statement by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stated: “Evidence consistent with a shooting was located at the scene along with evidence of an attempted arson.”

The police said the case could be related to “the extortion series”, putting foreign collusion theories to rest.

(With inputs from agencies)