ANI
London, September 30
A Sikh restaurant owner, who earlier received threats from Khalistani elements for being vocal against them, has now claimed that his car was shot at and vandalised by the extremists in West London.
A video posted on X by Insightuk2, which describes itself as a social movement of British Hindus and Indians, claimed that some unidentified assailants allegedly opened fire at the car of Harman Singh Kapoor, adding that his family has been subjected to constant threats of violence and rape by alleged Khalistan supporters.
However, there has been no formal statement from the UK police on these claims.
Notably, the claims came to the fore on the very day elements from outside Scotland deliberately disrupted a planned interaction organised for the Indian High Commissioner, Vikram Doraiswami.
“They were threatened and abused by these elements. In an effort to prevent any potential altercation, the HC and CG decided to leave the premises shortly upon their arrival,” India’s High Commission to UK said in a statement.
A UK-based journalist and researcher, Charlotte Littlewood, in a post shared on X, claimed that the attack on Kapoor’s family was ongoing.
“Attack on Harman Singh Kapoor + family is ongoing. They are awaiting police as Khalistani extremists are thought to have shot at their vehicle in London. As feared the Canada row has emboldened extremists – we will see more of this,” her post read.
Earlier in the day, she also questioned the decision of removing the panic alarm from the car of family amid the diplomatic fallout of Canada’s claim of an Indian hand in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“At this heightened time of threat following the India-Canada row. Where the Khalistani extremists are threatening India High commissions in the West and assassinating Indian officials in India. How was the decision made to remove their panic alarm?” her post added.
Meanwhile, INSIGHT UK, also alleged that Khalistani extremists were threatening Sikhs in the UK.
It also alleged that no arrests were made despite several months of alleged torture of Harman Kapoor’s family.
“The Police have made no arrests in what has been months of torture for this family. When will action be taken against these Khalistani extremists who pose a serious law and order threat @metpoliceuk,” INSIGHT UK posted on X, adding, “Why is the UK government not taking stringent action against an extremist ideology with a history of terrorism.”
Earlier, on May 4, Kapoor and his family alleged that they have been receiving constant online threats after they posted a video about the Khalistan movement on social media, Khalsa Vox reported.
The alleged threats were made despite repeated assurances by the police of safety and special safeguarding measures. The family had experienced three attacks, and do not feel safe, according to Khalsa Vox, a portal on news related to Punjab politics, history, culture, and heritage.
Harman’s restaurant was attacked by pro-Khalistan supporters, an incident that occurred just days after the Indian High Commission in London was vandalised in April 2023.
Harman then posted a video which garnered two million views in two days, leading to abusive calls, social media trolling, and threats against him and his family.
Harman said following the video, he received death threats and his restaurant was attacked. The attackers demanded that he remove the video, raise pro-Khalistan slogans and burn the Indian flag, or face death.
Harman said his wife and his daughter even received several rape threats. “Our address was put online with calls to rape and kill them. Videos of miscreants licking the pictures of my wife and daughter were posted as well,” he added, according to Bitter Winter, a magazine on religious liberty and human rights.
An independent report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson had expressed concerns over the rising influence of pro-Khalistan extremists within the British Sikh community, Khalsa Vox reported.
The Bloom Review, an independent report commissioned by former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, called on the Rishi Sunak government to address the issue urgently and safeguard most of the Sikhs in the UK who do not support their extremist ideology.
The report stressed time-bound action on the issue. The report noted that the Sikh communities in the UK face coercion and intimidation by fringe Khalistani elements, Khalsa Vox reported. These pro-Khalistan groups artificially inflate their influence and attract disproportionate attention by lobbying political bodies under the guise of human rights activism.
According to the news report, the actions of pro-Khalistan groups create a false image of legitimacy which is not in accordance with the beliefs of the Sikh faith.
It is important to understand that Khalistani separatists do not represent the views of most of British Sikh communities, as per the Khalsa Vox report.
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