An anti-Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) demonstration held by Indian ultra-nationalists in Norwich (Connecticut, USA) could result in anti-Sikh “hate crimes” according to locals.
On 12th November a truck fitted with digital screens stationed itself drove through downtown Norwich displaying an image of a man with an Islamic style turban holding a gun and ammunition. Statements on the truck associated support for Khalistan (a free Sikh homeland) with “terrorism” which is “Pakistan sponsored”. Local Sikhs are concerned this public labelling of Sikhs as terrorists, linked with an Islamic nation and a provocative image, could result in “hate crimes”.
Multiple Sikhs in the USA have previously been killed and attacked for an assumption the faith’s physical identity – wearing of the dastaar (Sikh turban) and keeping of kes (unshorn hair) – is related to Islamic extremism.
The displays shown outside City Hall directly addressed Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom, asking him not to “support” or “promote” Khalistan, even though there has been no official support for Khalistan from Mayor Nystrom, who has simply allowed space for local Sikhs to mark their support for this movement. Countless Sikhs are in favor of the pursuit of Khalistan, a movement which became a cemented aim for many within the Sikh nation after the Indian state facilitated Sikh genocide from 1984 onwards. An estimated 300,000+ Sikhs have voted in a non-binding democratic Khalistan Referendum campaign which has been held in the UK, Italy and Canada since 2021. Many Gurdwaras and Sikh events the world over regularly feature support for Khalistan. Last year Canadian journalist Terry Milewski, known to regurgitate Indian ultranationalist propaganda claiming the Khalistan movement is a “project” of Pakistan, was forced to admit he had “no evidence” this was true despite his various works publicizing the theory, highlighting the absurdity of the claim.
In India, support for Khalistan has been criminalized. As such, American Sikh groups across the USA have been using freedom of speech to support this movement in the USA, resulting in their targeting by ultranationalist Indian groups and individuals in the country.
The incident, which local Sikhs say is part of an ongoing “defamation and disinformation campaign”, is certain to have been carried out by Indian ultranationalists upset with local government’s growing relationship with Norwich’s Sikhs, led by respected community figure Swaranjit Singh Khalsa, an elected City Council Member of Norwich. Since 2014, Swaranjit Singh has helped Norwich city council hold various events furthering understanding of the Sikh faith and Sikh history. This has even led to the state of Connecticut formally recognizing Sikh occasions like “Sikh Declaration of Independence Day” and the “Sikh genocide” through state legislature. This work of Swaranjit Singh and the support of Connecticut government has been applauded by Sikh groups across the world.
1. A #Sikh friend from #Norwich #Connecticut sent me these photos. Apparently, an Indian American Sikh group made a digital presentation in front of the Norwich City Hall against Mayor Peter A Nystrom, accusing him of supporting and promoting supporters of #Khalistan terror group pic.twitter.com/fNxvzq6c0v
— South Asian Minorities Collective (@MinoritiesSouth) November 15, 2022
These acts have upset Indian ultranationalist groups in the USA and overseas, as they expose the countless human rights abuses and fascism of the Indian state through American legislature, leading to even consulate figures attempting to destroy this grassroots relationship Sikh groups are building with local government. America is not the only country where India’s ultranationalism has been exported to, with global evidence being found to suggest the issue – through the form of Hindutva (Hindu extremism) – has reached the shores of Canada, the UK and Australia, where Sikh activists are often targeted for silencing in similar ways.
The truck displays featured the name “United Sikhs of New England”. American Sikh groups and New England sangat (Sikh congregation) speaking to Sikh PA have shared that they are completely unaware of the existence of an organization with this name, leading many to speculate it is a made-up name for an organization designed to make it seem like the anti-Sikh display outside City Hall was done by other Sikhs. It is a common tactic of Indian ultranationalists to feign Sikh identity to push an anti-Khalistan narrative. Through the Hindutva ideology, Indian ultranationalists do also believe the Sikh faith falls under the umbrella of Hinduism.
Investigations have traced the trucks used for the anti-Sikh display back to a media agency called Boost Outdoor Media, whose manager is Durga Aluri, a person with a name of Hindu origin. A staff member of the media agency refused to reveal any information about who funded the display to local Sikhs attempting to get to the bottom of the dangerous stunt.
Speaking about the issue, Swaranjit Singh said:
“American Sikhs across our nation have been working hard to authentically engage with local government, as seen with the recent Texas Sikh genocide commemoration. In particular, we Sikhs here in Connecticut have found a great friend in our local government. Unfortunately, Indian ultranationalists wish to export their fascism to the USA to destroy this relationship.
“What happened last week outside Norwich City Hall is dangerous and must be investigated by local authorities. If we see any hate crimes carried out on Sikhs in these areas, those behind these anti-Sikh messages will have blood on their hands. They have labelled us terrorists and pushed misinformation about our community initiatives. This could have violent consequences towards Sikhs. As such, local authorities must investigate this issue.
“I challenge these ‘United Sikhs of New England’ to actually come out and have a public discussion with us about this issue which we can invite the Norwich public to, and they can decide if Sikhs should be allowed to continue to engage with local government about our issues and history. Until then, I hope the people of Connecticut will continue to support its growing Sikh community and not fall for these divisive tactics.”
There has not yet been any official comment on the issue from Mayor Peter Nystrom or any Connecticut state figures.