Sikh separatist targeted in California ‘assassination attempt’

Satinder Pal Singh Raju’s truck ‘sprayed with bullets’ on California interstate

A Sikh separatist leader reportedly survived an “assassination attempt” on 11 August in Sacramento, California.

The truck in which Satinder Pal Singh Raju was travelling was allegedly “sprayed with bullets” on Interstate 505 near Sacramento earlier this month. Mr Raju is the leader and organiser of Sikhs for Justice – an organisation that seeks a separate Sikh state or Khalistan.

Sikhs for Justice said in a statement that a car pulled up next to Mr Raju’s vehicle and opened fire, causing the driver of the truck to veer off the road. Mr Raju and two of his colleagues who were travelling with him in the truck escaped the vehicle and took cover behind a haystack, where they called 911, according to The Sacramento Bee.

The California highway patrol confirmed that there was a shooting on Interstate 505 on 11 August at about 11.30pm and is investigating the incident. The Guardian reported that no arrests have been made so far, according to the agency’s spokesperson, Rodney Fitzhugh.

Mr Raju is reportedly associated with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Khalistan advocate who was allegedly assassinated in Canada last year. Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau described what he called credible allegations that India was connected to the assassination of Nijjar in June. The Indian government denied any hand in Nijjar’s killing while also saying Canada was trying to shift the focus from Khalistan activists there.

Sikhs for Justice suggested that India, which has been linked to several plots against Sikh leaders in the US and other countries, could be responsible for the attack in Northern California. They believe that the attack was part of a broader effort by the Indian government to suppress the Khalistan independence movement globally.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, lawyer and spokesperson for Sikhs For Justice, said in a statement: “(Indian prime minister Narendra) Modi 3.0 Regime is continuing with its policy of transnational repression to violently suppress the global Khalistan Referendum campaign seeking liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation.”

The Indian government has not yet responded to Mr Pannun’s allegation.

A member of United Hindu Front organisation holds a banner depicting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer believed to be based in Canada designated as a Khalistani terrorist by the Indian authorities during a rally along a street in New Delhi on 24 September 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

In 2023, Mr Pannun was the target of a thwarted assassination attempt in the US, which US officials attributed to the Indian government, though India denies any involvement.

Mr Pannun is also facing terrorism charges in India for his advocacy of an independent Sikh state.

Mr Raju has played a significant role in organising Khalistan referendum votes – a symbolic effort by some Sikhs worldwide to advocate for independence from India. He was involved in votes held in San Francisco and Sacramento earlier this year and also helped with a referendum in Calgary, Canada, in July.

“The American administration and the Canadian government, they have not held India accountable, and Modi feels emboldened,” Mr Pannun said. “They are using their proxies to target leaders of the Khalistan referendum movement.”

Activists of the Dal Khalsa Sikh organisation, a pro-Khalistan group, stage a demonstration demanding justice for Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June 2023 near Vancouver, after offering prayers at the at Akal Takht Sahib in the Golden Temple in Amritsar on 29 September 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)

Photos from Sikhs for Justice revealed at least four bullet holes in the driver’s side window, marked with what appeared to be police evidence tags. One bullet seemed to have lodged in the truck’s dashboard, while another appeared to have exited through the windshield.

Mr Raju told The Los Angeles Times: “The day of our death is already written. I am happy to survive. But this won’t change the work that we do.”

He is currently helping Sikh activists organise a November referendum in New Zealand.

The Independent has reached out to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs for comment.