Canadian journalist alleges assault by Khalistan supporters at Vancouver rally

VANCOUVER: An independant Canadian investigative journalist on Sunday alleged that he was physically assaulted and "threatened" by a group of Khalistan supporters and had his phone snatched while reporting their rally in Vancouver.

The journalist, Mocha Bezirgan, who posted his ordeal on social media platform X said that the Khalistani extremist movement in Canada has raised serious security concerns and strained ties between India and Canada.

"It just happened two hours ago and I'm still shaking," Bezirgan told ANI in a phone interview. "They acted like thugs - crowding in on me, grabbing my phone, trying to stop me recording."

The incident occurred while Bezirgan was in Vancouver city to cover a rally organized by Khalistan supporters. The Canadian journalist described the attack as "thuggery" and said he was targeted for his editorial independence and past coverage of Khalistan-related protests.

Earlier he took to X to post, "I've been surrounded by a group of Khalistanis who grabbed my phone out of my hand and threatened me. Naturally I'm a bit shaken, but not deterred."

Bezirgan further said that the pro-Khalistan movement has led to acts of vandalism, intimidation, and violent rhetoric, despite not being widespread within the Sikh community.

On being asked about Khalistani extremism, the Canadian investigative journalist said, "This is a movement headed by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). They are the ones organizing it, and most of the time, it's the same people attending these protests, whether it be in Ontario, British Columbia, US, UK, New Zealand. They mobilize people to come from local Gurudwaras to create a little bit of crowd, but there are bigger political organizations like the World Sikh Organization which is based in Canada and they are they have a troubled history and they do the political cover in Canada.

He highlighted that larger political organizations such as the World Sikh Organization, based in Canada, provide political cover for the movement. "Their executives include current and former MPs and ministers, who have spread influence across Canadian institutions," said the Canadian journalist. (ANI)

Also Read: Gurdwara in Canada vandalised with pro-Khalistan graffiti

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