India warns Anthony Albanese over Sikh separatists and terror links

Senior Indian officials have raised the alarm over the growth of Sikh separatism in Australia and its links to terrorist groups.

Khalistan supporters wave flags at the Sikh community’s Humanity Walk in Melbourne on November 19.

Senior Indian government officials have raised the alarm over the growth of Sikh separatism in Australia and its links to terrorist groups in India, warning Albanese government ministers of the movement’s propensity for violence.

Indian government officials met Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil in recent weeks, ­expressing concern over rising support for the Khalistan movement, particularly in Melbourne’s Indian community.

Indian community fears were fuelled by Khalistan supporters waving flags and handing out pamphlets at a major Indian community event, the Humanity Walk, in Melbourne on November 19.

The walk, which was funded with a $25,000 grant from the ­Andrews government, was organised by the Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council, an umbrella group representing Sikh temples.

The Khalistan movement seeks to establish an independent Sikh state in Punjab and the ­Indian government has suspected it has been secretly backed by ­Pakistani intelligence for decades.

An Indian official told The Australian that the Modi government wanted to convey to the Albanese ministers in strong terms that the Khalistan movement had ties to “proscribed terrorist organisations with a history of violent terrorism and lots of violence in the past”.

“So there’s this fear of communal disharmony and possible law and order problems,” the official said.

“Many of them (Khalistan supporters) have found shelter in overseas countries, particularly the USA and Canada, and then ­direct activities from these places all over the world.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s will visit Sydney next year for a meeting of Quad national leaders.

The Indian government has banned four Sikh separatist groups: Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Commando Force, Khalistan Zindabad Force, and the International Sikh Youth Federation.

Members of pro-Khalistan groups were linked by Indian ­security services to a string of deadly terrorist attacks throughout the 1980s, including the bombing of an Air India flight in 1985 that killed more than 300 passengers and crew. Dozens of lives were also lost in attacks on trains and buses.

Khalistan supporters argue that minority Sikhs have been persecuted in India by majority Hindus and claim that carving out a new state in the Punjab would usher in self-determination for the community and protect its ­religious and cultural values.

Indian security forces also stand accused by Khalistan supporters of deploying brutal tactics, particularly in the 1980s, to put down the separatist movement.

Followers of the movement have attended Indian events in Melbourne in recent months, prominently displaying Khalistani flags and calling for an independent Sikh state.

The Indian government source said the Modi government was concerned local Khalistani movement leaders were recruiting ­impressionable Indian Sikhs in Australia “who don’t know what they are getting into”.

“There are certain people who are very sure of what they’re doing, and they want to use every occasion and opportunity and event to promote their narrative,” the ­official said. “They say that it’s freedom of expression; that you can say things which are considered objectionable.

“But we are anticipating something which is coming down the line, which is picking up steam.”

The strong display of Khalistani support at the November 19 Humanity Walk set off alarm bells in sections of the Indian community. Videos and photographs on ­social media show dozens of ­Khalistan supporters waving the movement’s yellow flags as they marched past the Shrine of ­Remembrance.

The Victorian Sikh Gurduaras Council did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.

Ravi Ragupathy, an Indian Hindu community figure and ­former independent candidate at last month’s state election, said ­increasing Khalistan support threatened multicultural harmony.

“Concern is growing about local community wellbeing and welfare of the multicultural community in Melbourne,” he said. “My family and some others are asking ‘are we safe to live in Melbourne or are we going back to India’.

“Seeing the Khalistan posters (in the Humanity Walk and temples) … this kind of hatred slogan starts to divide and rule in the Sikh community.

“It’s a multicultural community and we need to take action against this type of (Khalistan) event which is not safe for the local community. Everyone should respect each other.”

Mr Ragupathy said there was increasing concern that a “Khalistan referendum car rally” to be staged this Saturday from the Craigieburn temple in Melbourne’s north to the Tarneit temple in the west could also be a flashpoint.

Posters promoting the event with slogans such as “13 days old baby of a Sikh army officer was burnt alive by Hindu mobs in Kanpur” and “1984 yes it’s genocide” have been distributed in the Indian Australian community.

Saturday’s car rally is designed to promote a global referendum of Sikhs living overseas on establishing a Khalistan state. It’s ­believed Australian Sikhs will be voting in the referendum early next year.