The house of an aide of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was shot at in Ontario, police said on Monday (Feb 12). The development occurred amid recent accusations by Canada and the United States that linked New Delhi with targeted eliminations of individuals listed as terrorists in India.
Constable Tyler Bell-Morena said Peel Regional Police were alerted by construction crews about what appeared to be “a bullet hole in a window of the home” of Inderjit Singh Gosal in the province of Ontario, and are investigating.
Who is Inderjit Singh Gosal?
Gosal is also a close associate of prominent Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American citizen listed as a terrorist in India due to his call for a separate Sikh state, a denounced secessionist cause.
There were no injuries in the shooting as the Brampton, Ontario, home is under construction and currently unoccupied.
“We understand who this person is and his affiliations, but it’s just too early for us to speculate that there’s any connection” to other violence and threats, Bell-Morena told AFP.
“We are obviously investigating it with all avenues in mind,” he added.
Pannun, writing on social media, called the incident a “drive-by shooting”.
India-Canada ties in recent months
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September directly linked New Delhi to the killing of another Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
As Trudeau went public with his accusation, the Ottawa-New Delhi ties nosedived with New Delhi briefly imposing visa restrictions on Canadians and forcing Canada to withdraw its diplomats.
The free trade agreement negotiations were suspended too.
Later, Washington accused that an Indian government official was allegedly involved in planning the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Also watch | Pannun ‘murder plot’: White House says, ‘US taking the matter seriously’ | The India Story
Earlier this month, unidentified men, later identified as teenagers, shot at the British Columbia home of Simranjeet Singh, an associate of Nijjar.
India has called upon the Western countries to curb the support for separatism in India from abroad in the name of free speech. In the UK, the US, and Canada, the denounced cause of Khalistan continues to find radical refuge.
(With inputs from agencies)
