"They came very close to bodily harm us": Recalled Indian envoy to Canada on attack by Khalistanis

New Delhi [India], October 24 : Recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma on Thursday shared a terrifying moment when Khalistani attacked him with a sword in Alberta while he was along with his wife.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, Verma said that the Khalistani 'goons' came very close to bodily harm him adding that they were not carrying the 'kirpan', a religious object, but a sword that could potentially harm him.
"Yes, a couple of times they came very close to bodily harm us...They were carrying a sword, it was not a Kirpan...When I was in Alberta a sword came around 2-2.5 inches close to my body...," said Verma.
The recalled Indian envoy also said that he was accompanied by his wife. "When I was in Alberta my wife was also with me...," he said.
Verma said the Khalistanis surrounded the exit gate and attacked him. "I was in a city in Alberta. And there the Indians had a dinner party which also had cultural programs, where it was expected that I would meet the Indians. And that was a business event. So many businessmen from Canada were there. And the main thing was how we could advance the business relationship, what new things we could bring, what new sectors we could bring. This was in a convention hall. Outside, around 150 people were there who were doing bad things in the name of Khalistan. And they surrounded the entrance from which I had to go. When I entered, there were RCMP and local police. Alberta is our good friend. Local police were present there. But maybe they didn't think that they would do such a bad thing. My wife was accompanying me. When I was passing, there was a sword. And it was not a kirpan. They may not know the difference between sword and a kirpan. But we Indians who have seen Sikhism, who are so patriotic, where we have seen them, by the grace of Wahe Guru, we know the difference between a sword and a kirpan. So this was a sword, which came about 2 to 2.5 inches away from my body," he said.
Verma said that the local police held an interrogation later, and he was not given the details about the same.
"The local police got into action immediately and pushed them back. They also held an interrogation. I was not informed about the final results. We also informed the Global Affairs of Canada about the incident. They also believed that this is not right. And we also tried to explain to them that there is a difference between a sword and a kirpan. There is a difference between a spear and a kirpan. And this is not a religious belonging that they carry," he said.
Verma said that as per Canada's own assessment was that the Indian diplomats could be harmed. So, they were given protection from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
"Let's look at their own assessment. The very fact that I was given a close protection detail of RCMP and my two consul generals were given the same, also shows that their assessment was that we could be bodily harmed. I'm talking about their assessment," he said.
Verma added, "So there are a couple of such incidents. But my main purpose is that the relationship between the two countries should be restored."
Verma said that Khalistani goons threaten peace-loving Indo-Canadians and vandalise their place of worship.
"Indo-Canadians are being threatened by the hooligans who are Khalistani goons. They are Khalistani terrorists and extremists. They go in our society of peace-loving Indo-Canadians and threaten them. They go to our places of worship and vandalize them. So if that is being tolerated by the system, the present system in particular, then how can you assure them for normalcy? So probably someone will have to sit down, look at it. Why is it unfair for those Indo-Canadians who believe in a certain religion, in a certain faith, and want to live peacefully and contribute to the growth and development of Canada, being threatened by a handful of goons. That has to be looked at," he said.
Verma was recalled from Canada after the country said he was a person of interest in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case; however, he denied all charges levelled against him by Ottawa in connection with the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The ties between India and Canada soured after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in the Canadian Parliament last year that he has "credible allegations" of India's hand in the killing of Nijjar.
India has denied all the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated" and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country.
Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.
Amid worsening ties between the two countries, India had earlier this month "strongly" rejected a diplomatic communication from Canada suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats were "persons of interest" in an investigation and termed it as "preposterous imputations" and part of the political agenda of the Justin Trudeau government.
In a hard-hitting statement, India said Prime Minister Trudeau's hostility to India has long been in evidence and his government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists "to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada".
India had had expelled six Canadian diplomats hours after it summoned Canada's Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and conveyed that the "baseless targeting" of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.