Gun charges dropped against 2 Sikh activists

Gun charges dropped against 2 Sikh activists

2 had been charged alongside man who replaced Nijjar as Khalistani leader in Canada

The Crown has dropped all charges against two of three Sikh activists arrested in September for allegedly having a loaded handgun in a car.

Inderjit Singh Gosal of Brampton, Ont., Jagdeep Singh of New York and Arman Singh were all arrested on Sept. 19 in Whitby and charged with a dozen firearms offences, including careless use and illegal possession of a prohibited handgun.

Gosal is a prominent member of the Sikh nationalist Khalistani movement in Canada. Following the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023, Gosal replaced him as leader of the Canadian chapter of Sikhs for Justice.

Jagdeep Singh said he was informed by his lawyer on Thursday morning that charges against him had been dropped. Charges against Arman Singh were dropped on Friday.

"The email said you can go back to the States, you're good to go," Jagdeep said. "I can go anywhere in Canada, or I can go back home."

Gosal, while declining to get into the specifics of a case that is still pending, told CBC News that the firearms charges against him and his two companions should be seen in the context of the threats to his life.

"As the matter is before the courts, I can’t really make a statement on that,” he said. “But what I want to focus on is what transpired before these charges."

Gosal has been the apparent target of one drive-by shooting already, when persons unknown fired into a house in Brampton in February 2024. The house was under construction at the time and no family members were present.

Shortly before his arrest, Gosal reported receiving fresh warnings from police that his life was in danger. “Between Aug. 20 and Sept. 10, the RCMP visited me maybe eight to 10 times," he told CBC News.

The Breakdown | Hardeep Singh Nijjar arrests + Police chases

"It got really serious after Sept. 8 when they visited me and said ‘there’s hit men in town, the shooters are in town.’”

He told CBC News that he was offered the chance to enter a witness protection program. “I respectfully declined," he said, "because I’d rather take India’s bullet than stop campaigning for the Khalistan referendum.”

Sikhs for Justice have organized a string of referendums through the Sikh diaspora around the world in support of a separate homeland for Sikhs in Punjab.

The Indian government has condemned the referendums as an attack on its sovereignty, and labelled the leadership of Sikhs for Justice terrorists. The government of Canada has accused India's government of ordering the killing of Nijjar. Four men, allegedly connected to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, have been charged in Nijjar's murder.

India has denied involvement in the killing.

Jagdeep said he intended to remain in Canada and participate in the next instalment of the Khalistani referendum campaign, which is due to be held in Ottawa on Sunday.

Votes have already taken place in Surrey and in the Greater Toronto Area, attracting tens of thousands of voters. Votes have also been held in the U.S., U.K., Italy, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.

Singh said he has received no warnings from Canadian police about his safety, but he was warned by the FBI following the Nijjar assassination to take precautions.

Gosal, who is currently out on bail on the gun charges, is expected to attend the referendum in Ottawa this weekend, along with Jagdeep Singh.

Gosal's own charges remain pending.

Evan Dyer has been a journalist with CBC for 25 years, after an early career as a freelancer in Argentina. He works in the Parliamentary Bureau and can be reached at evan.dyer@cbc.ca.