LONDON: Satinder Pal Singh Raju, a prominent pro-Khalistan activist associated with Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and a key organizer of the Khalistan Referendum, narrowly escaped a deadly ambush in California. Raju was targeted when his truck was sprayed with bullets on Interstate 505 near San Francisco.
Following the assassination of Canadian-Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar by Indian agents on June 18, 2023, Raju, along with the SFJ team, organized Khalistan Referendum phases in Surrey, BC, and has been involved in various events across North America, including recent referendums in Calgary, San Francisco, and Sacramento.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel to SFJ, accused Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of orchestrating the assassination attempt. Pannun asserted that the Indian government is using transnational violence to suppress the Khalistan Referendum campaign, which seeks Punjab’s liberation from Indian control.
This attack on Raju follows a series of violent incidents targeting Khalistan Referendum campaigners, including a recent shooting at the home of Inderjeet Singh Gosal, a Canadian organizer, and an earlier attack on a Sikh activist’s home in Brampton, Canada. Additionally, in February, the Czech Republic extradited Indian agent Nikhil Gupta, suspected of plotting to kill SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the U.S. Gupta is accused of conspiring with Indian officials in this plot, according to U.S. federal prosecutors.
