Over 200,000 people voted in two unofficial referendums on the creation of a separatist state called Khalistan within India, a controversial movement that is at the heart of the diplomatic fallout between Canada and India.
The second referendum was held on Sunday in Surrey, B.C. at the same temple where Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was allegedly assassinated in June.
His murder sparked a diplomatic fallout after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that the Indian government played a role in Nijjar’s murder in the House of Commons on Sept. 18.
The allegations, which have been denied by the Indian government, led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from both countries, travel advisories, visa suspensions and a cyberattack on the Canadian Armed Forces website.
Sikhs in India are a minority group who mostly live in the province of Punjab and for many years they have wanted to separate from India and carve out their own region known as Khalistan.
The first non-binding referendum was held on Sept. 10 and had a turnout so large that all the votes couldn’t be counted in a single day.
Radio Punjab’s news director Sarbraj Kahlon said the latest vote was a success after 65,700 people showed up to cast a ballot on Sunday, according to The Canadian Press.
More unofficial referendums are in the works for Abbotsford, Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal in 2024, said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who organized the one in Surrey on Sunday.
Pannun also credited Trudeau for creating a more friendly environment for open dialogue about the Khalistani independence movement without supporters fearing retribution for their support.
Prior to his death, Nijjar was one of the organizers of the Khalistan referendum in Canada. Similar referendums have been held in other countries as well.
“The organizers just want people to come, attend and just unite under one flag,” said Khalon. “As you know, this is a non-binding referendum but the organizers, they say, the United Nations, they are watching it closely.”
