Khalistan Referendum Continues, Explosions Near Gurdwara, and Firings on Activist’s Home

On 28 Jan, Sikhs in San Francisco voted on the Khalistan Referendum. Out of an estimated 250,000 Sikhs in the Central Valley or the Bay Area, about 125,000 came out to vote. The San Francisco vote follows votes in London, Geneva, Rome, Toronto, and Vancouver (SDW Vol. 1 Issue 1, Story 4). The next vote is in Sacramento on 31 Mar. Proposed by Sikhs for Justice, a US-based group, the referendum was borne out of an ongoing history of persecution in India and advocacy for increased religious freedom for the Sikh community. The next day, multiple propane tanks exploded near a Gurdwara in Sacramento. The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said the accident happened at a building on the property directly across from the Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society along Bradshaw Road in the Vineyard community. ‘My heart was racing, especially given all the recent events,’ said Bobby Singh, an activist. ‘I feared the worst.’ The Gurdwara building was blackened and suffered heavy damage. As recently as last Sunday, as many as 200 children attended Sikh education classes there. 'Thank God no one was hurt,' Singh said. Several Sikh activists say they want the fire thoroughly investigated. Two days later, on 1 Feb, in Canada’s city of Surrey, unknown people opened fire on activist Simranjeet Singh’s home. A spokesperson for the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council said Simranjeet Singh was a friend of slain pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is investigating the incident.