Indian Ambassador to the United States, Taranjit Singh Sandhu was heckled by Khalistan supporters at a Gurdwara in New York who kept saying "you killed nijjar", "you plotted to murder Pannun" while nearly pushing the envoy. The incident took place at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York where a person could be heard shouting at the Indian Ambassador with accusations over the killing of Khalistani sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The video of the incident was shared by BJP spokesperson RP Singh Khalsa which showed the Indian Envoy at the Gurdwara being surrounded by people amid the continuous shouting. People around him push away those confronting him.
"Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS with basless Questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign," the BJP spokesperson said on X, formerly Twitter.
"Himmat Singh who led the pro Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused ambassador Sandhu for India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum. @JoeBiden @PMOIndia @MEAIndia," he added.
BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa also condemned the incident. "As far as Taranjit Singh Sandhu is concerned, he has got a legacy. His father was Teja Singh Samundari who fought for Chabi wala Morcha for Gurudwara, before independence. I believe that this kind of heckling of him is not justified at all. I condemn this..." Sirsa told ANI.
Last month, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, Vikram Doriaswami, was not allowed to enter a Gurdwara in Scotland by a group of radical Sikh activists. The incident happened after the Indian envoy visited the Gurdwara on invitation. The British Sikh Activists reportedly told Doriaswami that he was 'not welcome'.
Notably, Nijjar's killing stirred tension between India and Canada after the latter accused the Indian side of being involved in the killing of the Sikh extremist leader. This led to the expulsion of diplomats from both sides.