'Came Very Close': Recalled Envoy Recounts Sword Attack By Khalistanis In Canada

Former Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, recounted threats from Khalistani sympathizers in Alberta, including a close encounter with a sword.

Sanjay Kumar Verma, Indian High Commissioner to Canada was recalled by India after he was named as 'person of interest' in probe linked to Nijjar's killing.

Source : PTI

Recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma recounted a terrifying experience where Khalistani sympathisers brandished a sword at him during an event in Alberta province. 

He also said there were a couple of times when they came "very close" to physically harm the Indian diplomats. 

The incident came amid a diplomatic standoff between India and Canada over the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The tensions escalated after Verma and other diplomats, who were recalled by India, were named as 'persons of interest' in the probe linked to Nijjar's killing by Canadian authorities. 

Narrating his experience, Verma said, "Yes, a couple of times, they came very close to bodily harming us." 

#WATCH | "...Yes, a couple of times they came very close to bodily harm us...They were carrying a sword, it was not a Kirpan...When I was in Alberta a sword came around 2-2.5 inches close to my body...," says Recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma while… pic.twitter.com/y4QCjAqFHu

— ANI (@ANI) October 24, 2024

"I was in a city in Alberta where the Indian community had arranged a dinner and cultural programmes. It was a business event being held in a convention hall. Outside the venue, 150 people were holding a pro-Khalistani protest," he told news agency ANI. 

The protestors blocked the venue's entrance, he said, adding that the Royal Canadian Mount Police and local police had also not thought such a thing would happen. 

"When I entered the convention hall along with my wife, one sword, not a 'kirpan' came around two to two-and-a-half inches close to my body," he said. 

Kirpan is a type of knife which is one of the five articles of faith that a Sikh needs to carry as part of their religion. 

"They may not know the difference between kirpan and sword. In our country, Sikhs are patriotic and we have seen them. We know what is the difference between a sword and a kirpan," Verma said. 

Before the attack, the RCMP gave close and detailed protection to Verma and his two consul-generals following an assessment that they could be bodily harmed, the ambassador said. 

Following the attack, Verma said he was immediately escorted but he was not informed about the details of the questioning done by the police later following the incident.