VOA新闻杂志2023--India, Canada Expel Diplomats over Killing of Sikh Activist

India, Canada Expel Diplomats² over Killing³ of Sikh Activist⁴

India expelled a Canadian diplomat¹ Tuesday and accused Canada of interfering⁵ in its internal affairs.

The move came one day after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government was investigating a possible connection between India and the killing of a Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was an activist in the Sikh independence movement. He was shot to death on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.

Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat in protest.

The Indian government has denied any involvement in Nijjar's killing. But Trudeau said, "We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them." He added, "We want to work with the government of India to lay everything clear and to ensure there are proper processes."

India has repeatedly accused Canada of supporting the Sikh independence movement, called Khalistan. The movement is banned in India but has support among the Sikhs living in other countries.

In 2020, the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Nijjar a terrorist. Indian media reported that he was suspected of organizing a bombing in Punjab, India, and training terrorists in a small area near Vancouver, Canada.

What is the Khalistan movement?

The Sikh independence movement began as an armed insurgency⁶ in the 1980s among Sikhs demanding a separate homeland. It was centered in northern Punjab state, where Sikhs are the majority. Sikhs make up about 1.7 percent of India's total population.

In 1984, Indian forces attacked the Golden Temple, Sikhism's holiest religious center, in order to capture separatists who had taken refuge there. The government reported around 400 killed in the operation. But Sikh groups say thousands were killed. The dead included Sikh militant⁷ leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, whom the Indian government accused of leading the armed insurgency.

On October 31, 1984, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who ordered the attack on the temple, was assassinated⁹ by two of her bodyguards¹⁰, who were Sikhs.

Her death led to several anti-Sikh riots. Crowds of Hindus went from house to house across northern India, pulling Sikhs from their homes and killing them.

There is no active insurgency in Punjab today, but the Khalistan movement still has supporters in India and abroad. And Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has also arrested leaders from groups that are linked to the movement.

How strong is the movement outside India?

India has been asking countries like Canada, Australia and Britain to take legal action against Sikh activists¹¹. India has raised these concerns with Canada, where 770,000 Sikhs make up nearly two percent of the country's population.

Earlier this year, Sikh protesters removed an Indian flag and broke the window at the country's office in London to protest the arrest of a Sikh religious leader. Protesters also smashed windows at the Indian consulate¹² in San Francisco and fought with embassy workers.

The Indian government has accused Khalistan supporters in Canada of damaging Hindu temples with "anti-India" graffiti and of attacking India's diplomatic office in Ottawa during a protest in March.

Last year, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, a Sikh militant leader and head of the Khalistan Commando Force, was shot dead in Pakistan.

Words in This Story

internal –adj. taking place inside a country or organization

insurgency –n. usually a violent attempt or long militant effort to take control of a government or area; a rebellion

assassinate⁸ –v. to kill someone for political reasons

1 diplomat   

n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人

参考例句：

• The diplomat threw in a joke, and the tension was instantly relieved.那位外交官插进一个笑话，紧张的气氛顿时缓和下来。
• He served as a diplomat in Russia before the war.战前他在俄罗斯当外交官。

2 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

6 insurgency   

n.起义；暴动；叛变

参考例句：

• And as in China, unrest and even insurgency are widespread. 而在中国，动乱甚至暴乱都普遍存在。 来自互联网
• Dr Zyphur is part an insurgency against this idea. 塞弗博士是这一观点逆流的一部分。 来自互联网

7 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

8 assassinate   

vt.暗杀，行刺，中伤

参考例句：

• The police exposed a criminal plot to assassinate the president.警方侦破了一个行刺总统的阴谋。
• A plot to assassinate the banker has been uncovered by the police.暗杀银行家的密谋被警方侦破了。

9 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

10 bodyguards   

n.保镖，卫士，警卫员( bodyguard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks came to Jim's office accompanied—like always—by his two bodyguards. 和往常一样，在两名保镖的陪同下，布鲁克斯去吉姆的办公室。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Three of his bodyguards were injured in the attack. 在这次袭击事件中，他有3名保镖受了伤。 来自辞典例句

11 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。