OTTAWA– Canadian authorities have arrested Khalistani extremist Inderjit Singh Gosal, a close associate of designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on multiple firearms-related charges, according to media reports.
Gosal, 36, has been a prominent Canadian organizer for the U.S.-based Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), particularly after the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. His arrest marks the second time in less than a year that he has been taken into custody.
Last November, Gosal was detained in connection with a violent incident at a Hindu temple in the Greater Toronto Area, where he allegedly assaulted Hindu-Canadian worshippers. He was later granted conditional release by Peel Regional Police.
Reports indicate Gosal has served as a personal security officer for Pannun, who was declared a terrorist by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs in July 2020. Pannun, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen originally from Punjab, leads Sikhs for Justice, which was banned in India in 2019. Indian authorities have filed more than 100 cases against SFJ and Pannun, nearly 60 of them in Punjab.
Gosal’s arrest comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment. India and Canada recently restored normal diplomatic operations after relations plunged in 2023, when then–Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in Nijjar’s killing—claims New Delhi strongly denied as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Last week, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin in New Delhi, where counterterrorism cooperation and broader security ties were central to discussions. Gosal’s detention is likely to add momentum to those talks as both nations look to address extremist activity and repair strained relations. (Source: IANS)
