On 20th September, just a day before United States President Joe Biden hosted the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, in his hometown Wilmington in Delaware, National Security Council officials met a delegation of American Sikhs in Washington DC at the White House. As per reports, these officials reaffirmed the commitment of the United States government to protect them from any act of so-called transnational repression. The pro-Khalistani Sikh organisations in the US and other countries often claim that the Indian government uses its influence to suppress their voices on foreign soil.
The organisations, whose officials met with the US National Security Council officials, included the American Sikh Caucus Committee, Sikh Coalition, and Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF). These organisations are known for their pro-Khalistani separatist agendas. In a post on X, Pritpal Singh of the American Sikh Caucus Committee wrote, “Thankful to US officials for their vigilance in protecting Sikh Americans. We will hold them to their assurances to do more in safeguarding our community. Freedom and justice must prevail.”
Thankful to U.S. officials for their vigilance in protecting Sikh Americans. We will hold them to their assurances to do more in safeguarding our community. Freedom and justice must prevail.https://t.co/4YnNZagTRl
— Pritpal Singh (@PritpalASCC) September 20, 2024
The meeting occurred at a time when a lawsuit had been filed by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, founder of the Khalistani organisation Sikhs For Justice, in connection with the alleged attempt to assassinate him. The US court has summoned the Government of India and its top security officials, including NSA Ajit Doval.
Notably, a member of the American House of Representatives, Adam Schiff, introduced the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024, which would require the Attorney General and other relevant federal agencies to report cases of alleged transnational repression against people in the US.
While introducing the act, Schiff said, “With transnational repression on the rise, the American people deserve to know if foreign governments are working to intimidate, harass, harm or kill individuals within the United States whom they view as hostile to their regimes.” In a press release issued by his office, Kiran Kaur Gill, executive director of SALDEF, was quoted as saying, “The Transnational Repression Reporting Act is a major step forward in protecting the freedom of speech and civil rights of Americans.”
Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, said, “We are deeply grateful to Congressman Schiff for proposing this legislation and taking the continuing threat of all transnational repression, including India’s recent targeting of Sikhs, seriously.” One of the directors of the Sikh Assembly of America, Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, said, “India must be made accountable for transnational repression of Sikhs and this bill helps combat the oppression and intimidation Sikhs are facing in America.”
American Sikh Caucus Committee
The American Sikh Caucus Committee appears to be an active secessionist organisation that propagates the demand for Khalistan and has been active since at least 2015. One of its main members, Pritpal Singh, has been seen frequently engaging with Pakistani leaders, as evidenced by his Facebook posts.
In February 2020, he shared a photograph of himself sitting next to Naemul Haq, a PTI veteran leader who passed away that month. The photograph was from 2019. In his post, Pritpal wrote, “On the passing of Naemul Haq, Pakistan has lost a great leader and Sikhs a dear friend.”
In another post from 2019, he shared a post by journalist Azmi Gill where the Governor of Punjab (Pakistan), Ch Mohammad Sarwer, met the Pakistani community in the Bay Area, San Francisco, California. Pritpal Singh was present at that meeting, raising serious concerns about his circle of “friends” and associates.
In January 2024, he openly propagated the demand for Khalistan while replying to the Hindu American Foundation. He wrote, “Just like the Hindu American Foundation has the right to advocate for a society’s segregation-based caste system (वर्णाश्रम), Sikhs also have the right to champion the cause of a Free Punjab and the establishment of Khalistan.”
Just like the @HinduAmerican Foundation has the right to advocate for a society’s segregation based Caste System(वर्णाश्रम), Sikhs also have the right to champion the cause of a Free Punjab and the establishment of Khalistan. In America, where freedom of belief is paramount, let…
— Pritpal Singh (@PritpalASCC) January 7, 2024
In June 2024, he shared the now-banned Al Jazeera documentary on Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder. He wrote, “How India silences critics in the US and Canada. In July 2022, Canadian law enforcement warned Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist, that his life was at risk. Despite the threat, he continued his advocacy for Khalistan. Tragically, Nijjar was assassinated in June 2023 by Indian agents. The Al Jazeera documentary highlights a chilling instance of transnational repression.”
After the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Pritpal claimed that FBI approached him and informed about the possible threat to his life. Speaking to The Intercept, he said, “I was visited by two FBI special agents in late June who told me that they had received information that there was a threat against my life. They did not tell us specifically where the threat was coming from, but they said that I should be careful.”
Sikh Coalition
Though the Sikh Coalition clearly claims that they do not take any organisational position on Khalistan, the organisation has repeatedly worked against the Government of India and spread misinformation about how the GoI is functioning under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Interestingly, they also share quotes from members of the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an organisation known for its links to terrorist organisations.
In February 2021, an ad was featured during the Super Bowl about the farmer protests in India. Super Bowl ads are extremely expensive, which raised questions about who funded the ad. The 32-second national ad cost around USD 5.5 million, and regional ads, which this ad on the farmer protests was, cost no less than USD 10,000.
According to reports, the ad was created by Indian-American Raj Sodhi-Layne along with a couple of her friends, and it was she who signed the contract for airtime with CBS. Sodhi-Layne worked with the Sikh Institute Fresno (SIF), which partnered with the Sikh Coalition in the US.
The Sikh Coalition was listed by the SIF as a valid resource for legal aid for Sikh. As it turned out, the Sikh Coalition receives funds from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The OSF is an organisation of George Soros, who had earlier declared war on nationalists and nationalism, including Prime Minister Modi.
Its website states, “Most of the Sikh Coalition’s funding comes from generous individual donations within the community. The Sikh Coalition relies on your financial support to sustain its initiatives and broaden its services.”
“In addition, each year the Sikh Coalition proudly receives multiple competitive grants from private, non-Sikh foundations, including Open Society Foundations, the Proteus Fund, New York Foundation, and Emergent Fund,” it adds.
In July 2023, the Sikh Coalition spoke about press freedom in India and quoted a report by NPR. The report referenced the World Press Freedom Index, which is compiled by Reporters Without Borders. Interestingly, OpIndia has already reported that such rankings are based on baseless allegations, dubious statistics, and outdated reports.
Chart the alarming downward trend in India’s ranking on @RSF_en’s World Press Freedom Index → https://t.co/jZ3uqSrrQt
— Sikh Coalition (@sikh_coalition) June 22, 2023
On 21st September, Sikh Coalition quoted Rasheed Ahmed of IAMC who said that “Modi’s upcoming New York rally is a critical moment to continue to push back against his legacy of democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, transnational repression, and more.”
Rasheed Ahmed, ED of @IAMCouncil , argues that Modi's upcoming New York rally is a critical moment to continue to push back against his legacy of democratic backsliding, human rights abuses, transnational repression, and more.
— Sikh Coalition (@sikh_coalition) September 20, 2024
Read –> https://t.co/94I7gx8IM3 pic.twitter.com/DXnyTVdZG9
Sikh American Legal Defence and Education Fund (SALDEF)
The Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF) is also careful about not directly siding with Khalistani propaganda. However, its social media posts suggest that the organisation is a Khalistani sympathiser. In September 2023, they shared a post on Facebook targeting the Government of India for its crackdown on Khalistani separatist leader turned politician Amritpal Singh and the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of Nijjar’s murder. In a post, they wrote, “Less than two years after the Farmers’ Protest ended, the Amritpal Singh manhunt began, and now we learn of the Indian government’s alleged involvement in the murder of Harry Singh Nijjar.”
In February 2024, they released a report titled “Virtually Vulnerable” in association with Equality Labs, Hindus for Human Rights, and IAMC, all of which are anti-India organisations, with two having proven links to terrorist organisations. In the report, they claimed that whenever the Indian state wants to silence Sikh voices, they label them as “Khalistanis,” which is completely false. They cited examples of Amritpal Singh, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and pro-Khalistani Sikhs who supported the controversial anti-caste bill SB403, which was based on a report by Equality Labs. There is evidence that all these individuals are directly or indirectly linked to the Khalistani movement.
NEW REPORT: "Virtually Vulnerable" by SALDEF reveals how online platforms FUEL the silencing of Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims & Dalits in India.
— SALDEF (@SALDEF) February 20, 2024
Threats, harassment & manipulation – it's time to hold platforms accountable.
Read more: https://t.co/DEq3lK9yyS#VirtuallyVulnerable pic.twitter.com/EqGG0QGmBw
Sikh Assembly of America
The Sikh Assembly of America is a secessionist organisation. In its mission statement, the organisation acknowledges the Sikh Right for Self-Determination, in other words, the demand for Khalistan. The statement reads, “Through education and advocacy of acknowledgment of Sikh History, Sikh Narrative, Sikh Right for Self-determination under United Nations Charter (Sikh Homeland – ‘Punjab’), and community engagement, we aim to raise awareness about Sikhism, dispel misconceptions, combat discrimination, curb disinformation, and prejudice.”
The organisation appears to be a newly formed entity. It openly shares posts on social media supporting Khalistani terrorists, including Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In one of the most recent posts, the organisation discussed the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 and claimed that “the US will hold India accountable for transnational repression on Sikhs, and this bill will help to combat the oppression and intimidation Sikhs are facing in America.”
Furthermore, it specifically pointed out that the Sikh demand for Khalistan was highlighted in the bill. Interestingly, sponsors of the bill include Congressmen Dan Goldman, James McGovern, and Eric Swalwell, and Congresswomen Barbara Lee, Ilhan Omar, and Eleanor Holmes Norton.
In another post, they mentioned Khalistani terrorists Avtar Singh Khanda (UK) and Hardeep Singh Nijjar. “The authoritarian Government of India has since increased its surveillance and repression of Sikhs and Khalistan activists residing outside its territorial boundaries and has been on a mission to silence its political and religious dissidents,” the organisation noted.
US officials meeting pro-Khalistani organisations is a bad optics on the United States government. In the long run, the US has to step up and support India in controlling anti-India rhetoric spreading quickly on its land.
