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Police in Ontario have dropped all charges against one of three Sikh activists arrested in September for allegedly having a loaded handgun in a car.
Inderjit Singh Gosal of Brampton, Ont., Jagdeep Singh of New York and Arman Singh were all arrested on Sept. 19 in Whitby and charged with a dozen firearms offences, including careless use and illegal possession of a prohibited handgun.
Gosal is a prominent member of the Sikh nationalist Khalistani movement in Canada. Following the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023, Gosal replaced him as leader of the Canadian chapter of Sikhs for Justice.
Jagdeep Singh said he was informed by his lawyer on Thursday morning that charges against him had been dropped by the Ontario Provincial Police.
“The email said you can go back to the States, you’re good to go,” he said. “I can go anywhere in Canada, or I can go back home.”
Gosal, while declining to get into the specifics of a case that is still pending, told CBC News that the firearms charges against him and his two companions should be seen in the context of the threats to his life.
“As the matter is before the courts, I can’t really make a statement on that,” he said. “But what I want to focus on is what transpired before these charges.”
Shots fired into home
Gosal has been the apparent target of one drive-by shooting already, when persons unknown fired into a house in Brampton in February 2024. The house was under construction at the time and no family members were present.
Shortly before his arrest, Gosal reported receiving fresh warnings from police that his life was in danger. “Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 10, the RCMP visited me maybe eight to 10 times,” he told CBC News.
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“It got really serious after Sept. 8 when they visited me and said ‘there’s hit men in town, the shooters are in town.’”
He told CBC News that he was offered the chance to enter a witness protection program. “I respectfully declined,” he said, “because I’d rather take India’s bullet than stop campaigning for the Khalistan referendum.”
Weekend referendum in Ottawa
Sikhs for Justice have organized a string of referendums through the Sikh diaspora around the world in support of a separate homeland for Sikhs in Punjab.
The Indian government has condemned the referendums as an attack on its sovereignty, and labelled the leadership of Sikhs for Justice terrorists. The government of Canada has accused India’s government of ordering the killing of Nijjar. Four men, allegedly connected to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, have been charged in Nijjar’s murder.
India has denied involvement in the killing.
Jagdeep said he intended to remain in Canada and participate in the next instalment of the Khalistani referendum campaign, which is due to be held in Ottawa on Sunday.
Votes have already taken place in Surrey and in the Greater Toronto Area, attracting tens of thousands of voters. Votes have also been held in the U.S., U.K., Italy, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.
Singh said he has received no warnings from Canadian police about his safety, but he was warned by the FBI following the Nijjar assassination to take precautions.
Gosal, who is currently out on bail on the gun charges, is expected to attend the referendum in Ottawa this weekend, along with Jagdeep Singh. Gosal said that lawyers have told him they also expect charges to be dropped against the third man in the case, Arman Singh.
Gosal’s own charges remain pending.
