Apex Sikh governing body passes special resolution on India-Canada issue

SPGC members at the executive meeting / (Image-SPGC)

India's apex Sikh governing body, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SPGC) expressed serious concern over Canadian President Justin Trudeau’s allegations in the Canadian Parliament about the involvement of Indian agencies in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh resident there.

The SPGC in its executive meeting passed a special resolution where it said that both countries need to sincerely approach the matter to bring the truth to light. The organization said that statements given by a Prime Minister in any Parliament around the world carry weight and are “considered to be fact-based within the scope of the dignity of the concerned country’s constitution.” It added that Trudeau’s comments cannot be dismissed or rejected easily.

Earlier, India’s Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the Canadian PM’s comments as “absurd”. The special resolution said suppressing the matter due to politics would be considered an “injustice to human rights.” It further strongly condemned the “hate propaganda” being spread against Sikhs and Punjab while this situation continues to be debated, and covered by media worldwide.

The SPGC said that a large part of the media while covering the India-Canada diplomatic row has focused on the “character assassination of Sikhs.” Through the resolution, the body demanded the government of India to take the issue seriously and to take action against those maligning the image of Sikhs.