Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, US, is on a tour of the Indo-Pacific nations. One of her more important halts was India, a country that the United States would prefer to have on its side, as the echoes of an eminent transition of our unipolar world to muti-polarity gain resonance. One of the important issues brought to the table by the Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was the activities of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), an organisation based in the US that is banned by India.
SFJ was formed in the US by a small group of men who wanted the creation of a separate Sikh State in India. The prime motivation of the organisation has its roots in the delay in prosecution of those involved in riots targeting Sikhs in 1984, post the assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
SFJ released a map of the proposed state of Khalistan in June 2022. The map, in addition to the Indian province of Punjab, included Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, with Shimla as the capital of Khalistan, according to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the movement. In the interim, the SFJ has also tried to conduct a non-binding Khalistan Referendum 2020, calling for a vote on whether or not Punjab should continue as a part of India. Between 2021 and 2024, the referendum was held in London, Geneva, Italy, Canada, Australia, the USA, and New Zealand.
According to Indian sources, the SFJ had planned to attack locations in India to include Ambala and Independence Day events in Delhi and Punjab. The Indian agencies have large numbers of cases against Punnun.
The SFJ came into prominence recently when Hardeep Singh Nijjar, deeply involved in the Khalistan movement, was shot dead. Najjar, a Canadian Sikh, had migrated in 1990. The Indian Government accuses him of being a terrorist with the Khalistan Tiger Force. Nijjar was associated with SFJ and took an active part in the referendums. He was shot in the parking lot of a Sikh shrine in British Colombia. Nijjar had been warned of the possibility of an attempt on his life by the Canadian Security Intelligence Police. The Canadian police have arrested three Indians. Then, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau pointed a finger at India for being responsible for the act. The incident led to India-Canada relations dipping sharply.
Meanwhile, a plot to kill SFJ leader Punnun made the headlines in both the US and India. Former R&AW and BSF agent Vikas Yadav has appeared in the FBI’s most wanted poster. The official FBI website read, “Vikash is wanted for allegedly directing a plot to assassinate a United States lawyer and political activist of Indian origin on United States soil.” Vikas Yadav has a co-conspirator, as per the FBI. Yadav is charged with ‘Murder-For-Hire, Conspiracy to Commit Murder-For-Hire, and Money Laundering Conspiracy.”
During the meeting between the Indian Defence Minister and Tulsi Gabbard in New Delhi on 17 March, 2025 the issue of American soil being used for anti-Indian activities was put across to her with due emphasis. The meeting between the two leaders lasted for 30 minutes. The fact of Khalistan protagonists targeting Hindu institutions was also conveyed. Defence Minister also suggested that SFJ, along with such groups like Babar Khalsa, be banned. SFJ has linkages with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan and is responsible for innumerable terrorist activities in India and Afghanistan.
Tulsi Gabbard also met the Prime Minister thereafter. The Prime Minster later wrote on X, “Glad to welcome @TulsiGabbard to India. Exchanged views on further advancing the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. Both countries are committed to combating terrorism and enhancing maritime and cyber security cooperation.”
Hopefully, the new administration in Washington will realise the importance of banning these terror groups and also handing over to India those individuals who have violated Indian law. Further, Such incidents as the targeting of religious shrines are deplorable in a multi-racial democracy like the US. The fact remains that the Khalistan movement has no traction in India. Even after being espoused by its proponents for decades, it has not found acceptance in the state of Punjab, a province that is the heartland of Sikhs, with its most revered shrine located there.
Brig SK Chatterji (Retd) Editor, BharatShakti
