India's US envoy 'heckled' on outreach trip to NY gurdwara

India’s ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, faced protests and heckling by some members of the Sikh community at a gurdwara in Long Island, New York, on Sunday as he stepped up his outreach to the community, speaking about Sikhism’s larger message of equality, unity and brotherhood, and highlighting the progress in the India-US relationship, which will have tangible benefits for India in general and Punjab in particular.

- Prashant Jha

The incident, which was recorded on video, occurred at the end of his visit to the Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island, with some individuals directly accusing India of having killed Candian pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and being part of a plot to kill another separatist backer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Other Sikh community leaders at the gurdwara, however, asked the protesters to quieten down as they escorted Sandhu.

He had, a day earlier, visited the Sri Guru Ravidass Temple in New York on a similar visit.

Sandhu’s efforts and the protests come against the backdrop of two developments that have caused a rupture in India-Canada relations, posed a challenge in the India-US relationship, and caused divisions within the Indian diaspora.

In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed there were “credible allegations” linking agents of the government of India to the killing in Surrey, British Columbia, of Nijjar, a Canadian national whom India had designated as a terrorist. India termed the allegations “absurd”, said this was not government policy, and offered to look into it if Canada offered specific and relevant information. Ottawa, however, hasn’t yet provided evidence to back its claim.