ZAGREB, Croatia — An incident in which Khalistani extremists reportedly stormed the Indian Embassy in Croatia, pulled down India’s national flag, and hoisted a Khalistani banner has drawn sharp criticism from analysts who describe the act as criminal vandalism rather than a legitimate expression of political dissent.
According to a report released Friday by Khalsa Vox, the embassy breach was carried out deliberately ahead of European Union leaders’ participation in India’s Republic Day celebrations, with the apparent aim of embarrassing New Delhi on the international stage.
“Timed cynically ahead of EU leaders’ participation in India’s Republic Day celebrations, this stunt reeks of desperation, aiming to embarrass India on the global stage. But let’s call it what it is: criminal vandalism that drags innocent host nations like Croatia into a quagmire of international tension,” the report stated.
Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun publicly welcomed the incident, sharing a video in which he claimed that India’s tricolour would eventually be replaced by a Khalistani flag after Punjab is “liberated” from what he described as “Indian occupation.”
The report warned that such rhetoric goes beyond protest and veers into incitement. “Pannun’s rhetoric isn’t just inflammatory, it’s a blueprint for terrorism disguised as activism. This isn’t about Sikh rights; it’s a direct assault on India’s sovereignty, backed by countries such as Pakistan, echoing the violent separatist campaigns that have claimed thousands of lives. By violating the Vienna Convention on diplomatic premises, these thugs aren’t asserting “Sikh self-determination”, they’re inviting backlash from European governments weary of foreign extremists turning their soil into battlegrounds.”
Khalsa Vox noted that the incident places Croatia in a difficult position, as authorities in Zagreb are now required to investigate the breach of diplomatic security. Such incidents, the report said, risk straining bilateral ties with India. Similar acts of vandalism targeting Indian diplomatic missions have previously been reported in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, often resulting in arrests, diplomatic protests, and heightened security.
“These radicals exploit Western freedoms to sow discord, but when the hammer falls, as it inevitably will, it’s the local authorities who clean up the mess. Why not channel that energy into something productive? Because destruction is easier than dialogue. Pannun and his ilk peddle a victim narrative laced with half-truths and outright lies,” the report said.
The analysis also accused Khalistani activists of selective outrage, pointing to their silence on crimes against Sikh victims that do not align with an anti-India narrative. It cited a December incident in the London borough of Hounslow in which a 16-year-old Sikh girl was kidnapped, blackmailed, and gang-raped by a grooming gang. Community members intervened to rescue the teenager, leading to arrests. The report said similar cases involving Sikh girls have been documented in the UK over several years.
“Where was Pannun’s outrage? Why no SFJ campaigns against these predators? No flag-hoisting protests at Pakistani embassies? Because it doesn’t serve their narrative, and also, how can they protest against their funders? Khalistanis are quick to desecrate Indian symbols but mum when Sikh daughters are violated by gangs from a nation that has historically oppressed Sikhs and continues to do so still, be it the Gurdwaras in Pakistan going to ruins, forced conversions, persecution of minorities, the list goes on,” the report concluded. (Source: IANS)
