Edmonton Journal has reported:

An American Khalistan separatist leader visiting Edmonton for an upcoming vote on Punjab independence was warned by the RCMP about death threats, according to the referendum’s organizers. Sikhs for Justice said in a Thursday news release that Avtar Singh Pannu had acknowledged the threat and asked police for assistance. The vote is scheduled for Oct. 18 and will be non-binding.

The release said the RCMP could not provide further specific details about the threat. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, told Postmedia that police issued the warning at Edmonton International Airport on Wednesday, after Pannun returned from a campaigning trip in British Columbia.

“The latest RCMP duty-to-warn notice to an American Khalistan referendum organizer raises fresh concerns that the Modi government’s alleged transnational assassination plots targeting Khalistan activists continue in Canada,” the release said. It referred to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pannun said the Edmonton vote’s date was selected intentionally, one day before Alberta’s Oct. 19 referendum. Albertans across the province are preparing for that vote, while Khalistan supporters are organizing their own referendum in Edmonton. The Khalistan movement supports making India’s Punjab province an independent country.

“If Alberta is given a chance to vote on the question of whether Alberta should move ahead with a binding referendum or not, they are allowed. It’s a democracy,” Pannun said. He added that Sikhs seeking to hold a vote, even one without binding effect, face resistance from the Indian government.

The Edmonton event is part of an international campaign to build support for an independent Punjab, Pannun said. Votes have been held intermittently in locations around the world, with organizers aiming to bring the results to the United Nations. Previous Khalistan referendum votes in Canada have taken place in Surrey, B.C., and Brampton, Ont.

Pannun, who holds both Canadian and American citizenship, was also warned by the FBI and RCMP about death threats in August this year. He was a friend of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian pro-Khalistan activist who was assassinated in 2023. U.S. and Canadian police have since alleged the killing was connected to at least one Indian government official.

Despite the threat, Pannun said the Edmonton referendum will go ahead. “We are going to go ahead without fear for the bullet, without fear for our lives,” he said.

A local rally supporting Khalistan separatism is also planned in Edmonton for this Sunday. Postmedia said it contacted the RCMP for comment but had not received a response by press time. The article included files from Christopher Nardi and was written by Liam Newbigging, whose contact details were listed as lnewbigging@postmedia.com, @liamnewbigging.bsky.social and x.com/nubigin.

The source article also promoted bookmarking EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com, signing up for newsletters, and supporting journalism through a digital subscription. It said subscribers receive unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, The Edmonton Sun, the National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Related coverage cited a man arrested in a double stabbing at an Edmonton Sikh temple after his release from federal prison, as well as a suspect charged in a gurdwara stabbing where police said there was no evidence of a hate crime.