'Swords in hand': Recalled Indian envoy Sanjay Verma recounts attempted 'bodily harm' by Khalistanis in Canada

NEW DELHI: Recalled Indian High Commissioner to Canada , Sanjay Kumar Verma , on Friday shared his harrowing experience regarding an attack by Khalistani activists in Alberta . He described a frightening incident where the attackers nearly harmed him with what he identified as swords.

In an ANI podcast, Verma said the attempts happened despite the presence of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). "All these attempts to harm me bodily, that was in the presence of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) ... the local police on the ground took immediate action, pushed him away because there was a sharp weapon and the RCMP then whisked me from the side door to the venue," he said.

Elaborating on the attack, Verma said: "It was in Alberta ... most likely they would have said that it was a 'kirpan' which is a small blade whereas they had swords in their hand. They could come very, very close to me."

Verma revealed other forms of intimidation that came through various means, including emails, protests, and slogans shouted by Khalistani extremists during public events.

Describing an incident near Diwali when his effigy was burnt as Ravan and another case wherein a poster of him riddled with bullets, Verma questioned whether such acts constituted hate speech.

"Some came through emails during the so-called protests, which I call hooliganism when they gathered in front of the two consulates or the High Commission. They would shout slogans to intimidate us. Whenever we were attending public events, again, they would shout slogans to intimidate us," he said.

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In response to the harassment and threats, Verma "reported this to the foreign ministry", though he stated he never received feedback regarding the status of any investigations by Canadian authorities.

According to his statement, the "response was that we forwarded it to the relevant authorities, which is correct. We also do the same. But the report never came back. Okay. So we presume that nothing happened. So we presume that it went into a black box. Not to come out."

However, despite the threats, Verma said, "Threatened, yes. But did I become threatened? No. In most of my public events, there will be these hooligans outside shouting slogans against India, but also against me. Some of them are very burly-looking tall guys who would also gesture to physically harm me, but just the gestures, except for a few incidents. And so they tried."

Then, while discussing his security arrangements, Verma said, "I had Canadian security, both the federal and local." When questioned about doubts in their ability to protect him, Verma responded, "No, that I won't say. They were very professional, well-trained, and very respectful. So as far as the police officers who were protecting us and now protecting my colleagues there, very, very professional, never had an iota of doubt on their professionalism."

However, Verma expressed disappointment regarding the Royal Canadian Mounted Police press briefing, saying, "But unfortunately, the statement which we saw in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police press briefing, where even the investigation has not been concluded, that was a sad thing to see."

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The High Commissioner emphasised his commitment to serving India's national interest, explaining that "diplomacy for most of us would be, you know, being nice, nice cities. But then the final objective of diplomacy happens to be to safeguard your national interest. National interest could be improving relationships. National interest could be raising awareness against these Khalistani goons. All these are national interests." "So we work for the national interests. It so happened that my national interest was a bit different than the national interest of most other ambassadors in other countries," he added.

Verma was recalled from Canada following allegations by the Canadian government that he was involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar . Verma denied these allegations. The strained relations between India and Canada worsened after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India's involvement in Nijjar's killing. India has rejected these claims, accusing Canada of harboring extremist elements.