Canada Calling: Canada monitoring the Punjab situation, Jagmeet calls for a probe into ‘Indian interference’ and journo says he never provoked protesters

But on Thursday in Parliament, Joly was prompted by her Liberal Party colleague Laqwinder Gaheer to give an update on the issue.

“We are aware of the evolving situation in Punjab and are following it very closely,” Joly told the House of Commons. “We look forward to a return to a more stable situation. You can always count on the government of Canada to address the concerns of many members of the community,” she added.

Gaheer, an MP from the Punjabi-dominated Mississauga-Malton federal riding and one of the 12 Sikh MPs in Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party caucus, is among the three who have spoken on the suspension of internet services and imposition of Section-144. The remaining nine, including two ministers, were quiet on the subject, even as Sikh MPs from other parties made public statements.

Their silence didn’t go unnoticed. A group mobilizing support on social media against the crackdown called for a boycott of the nine Liberal MPs, with some pointing out that they had spoken about Iran, Ukraine, and Afghanistan in the past but were reluctant to comment on Punjab.

With Joly’s comments on Thursday somewhat lowering the heat in the kitchen, the MPs were quick to update their social media handles with posts about Punjab.

Jagmeet Singh wants India included in foreign interference inquiry

The Canadian politician most vocal on the crackdown in Punjab has been New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. He has called upon PM Justin Trudeau to boycott the upcoming G20 events in Chandigarh and Kashmir, and ban those BJP officials “that have made threats against minorities and elected officials from Canada.”

Singh has also called for a public inquiry into allegations of foreign interference in Canada. While China is at the center of these allegations, which include meddling in Canadian elections, Singh wants the inquiry’s scope to be extended to three more countries, including India (Russia and Iran are the other two countries).

Indo-Canadian journalist, heckled in BC, denies provoking pro-Khalistan protesters

An event in Surrey, British Columbia, which Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar was scheduled to attend, was canceled last Sunday after hundreds of protesters demonstrating against the police action on Amritpal Singh arrived at the venue. Posts on social media showed protesters roughing up an attendee and heckling a journalist who had to be escorted away by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers.

The journalist, Sameer Kaushal, who is a talk show host with a prominent Punjabi radio station Sher E Punjab AM 600, alleged that the protesters did not allow him to enter the venue and began to heckle and push him.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Kaushal said, “I told them, ‘Since I am here and you aren’t allowing me to go in, let me at least record your side of the story.’ But they kept abusing me and harassing me. Then a couple of RCMP officers came and pulled me out of the crowd. Instead of telling those people to stop, the officers told me, ‘You have to leave this place for your own safety.'”

Some subsequent reports have claimed that Kaushal was trying to provoke that crowd, but he denied it.

“I didn’t go there with any agenda, I was not carrying the Indian flag with me, which could have provoked them. I didn’t use any derogatory language. They made and circulated the video (refers to a viral video that shows Kaushal surrounded by a vocal, hostile crowd). Why would someone try to instigate the crowd (against oneself)?”

In the past, Punjabi radio broadcasters have been assaulted in Canada for remarks made on air, but Kaushal didn’t believe the crowd’s aggression against him was pre-planned.

“I think it was because of the Amritpal episode – the emotions were running high.”

It’s been nearly a week since the incident, but Kaushal said he is still feeling traumatized.

“I never expected this terrible thing to happen here in Canada. So the trauma is there. I don’t know who those people were, so there’s fear,” Kaushal added.

(Daksh Panwar is an Ontario-based journalist and broadcaster. Twitter: @Daksh280)