WASHINGTON: On India’s Independence Day, a large number of Sikhs staged a massive protest outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, surrounding the building in a show of defiance.
Sikhs carrying Khalistan flags raised slogans of “Down with India” and “Modi the murderer”. They tore the Indian flag and threw its pieces in front of the embassy. Terrified by the protest, Indian embassy staff summoned police, who remained stationed at the site for several hours. The demonstrators also staged a sit-in outside the embassy, voicing their outrage against the Indian government.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Bakhshish Singh Sandhu, President of the Khalistan Council, announced that the Khalistan Referendum will be held in Washington on Sunday, August 17, with thousands of Sikhs expected to cast their votes. He vowed that the day is not far when Indian Punjab will be liberated and transformed into Khalistan.
Observers described the protest outside the Indian embassy as yet another manifestation of the Khalistan movement’s growing international momentum, which is fast emerging a diplomatic challenge for New Delhi.
The upcoming Khalistan Referendum in the US is being organized by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based Sikh organization proscribed by the Indian government. Multiple rounds of the Khalistan Referendum have already been held in the UK, Canada, and other countries, with hundreds of thousands of Sikhs voting in favor of a separate homeland.
The Modi government, unnerved by the Referendum campaign, has been making desperate efforts to halt the process but its attempts have ended in failure.
