Sikhs for Justice to hold an independence referendum in Ottawa on Sunday

Sikhs for Justice, whose Canadian chapter was headed by Hardeep Singh Nijjar until his assassination in 2023, will hold a referendum in Ottawa on Sunday as part of its campaign for an independent Sikh Punjab, called "Khalistan" by Sikh nationalists.

The vote comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in South Africa, with a possible bilateral meeting on the same day as the Khalistan referendum in Ottawa.

The non-binding vote is the seventh to be held by the group in Canada since September 2022, when the first vote was held in Brampton, Ont., followed just days after by a travel advisory from India warning of a rise in "hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities" in Canada and advising Indian nationals in the country, including students, to be on the alert.

There were then two rounds of voting in September and October 2023 in Surrey, B.C. Organizers claimed a turnout of 200,000. Two more rounds followed in Mississauga, Ont., in 2024, as well as a vote in Calgary. CBC News has been unable to verify the turnout numbers.

Ottawa has a smaller Sikh diaspora than the Toronto and Vancouver areas, but organizers say they expect people to travel from Montreal and other areas to cast their ballots.

The Indian government has previously described the referendum movement as a provocation and an attack on its sovereignty.

But in response to a query from CBC News, the Indian High Commission took a more neutral line on Sunday's event, saying in a written statement: "This is a referendum by Canadians in Canada and the High Commission has no comments to give on this issue."

On Saturday morning, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was asked by reporters at the G20 summit in South Africa what message is being sent as Carney meets with Modi on the same day as the referendum.

In response, Anand said the meeting "has been contemplated for some time and it happens to be falling on the Sunday without an intention to undermine or hurt any interest domestically."

"And so I want to say at the forefront of every conversation is going to be the focus on the law enforcement matters, the law enforcement dialogue [and] the issues of public safety and security at home."

Inderjeet Singh Gosal leads the Canadian chapter of Sikhs for Justice, having taken up the cause following the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023.

Gosal, who has received a number of threats to his life, is also facing firearms charges after being arrested in September by the Ontario Provincial Police in a traffic stop in Whitby, Ont.

Two other activists arrested with him saw their charges dropped as the week drew to a close, but Gosal's charges remain. He is out on bail and will attend the referendum.

Having replaced Nijjar — who was already killed for his activism, according to officials in both Canada and the U.S. — Gosal is presumed to be a target and has received warnings from the RCMP of credible and imminent threats to his life, but he has declined protection that would require him to cease his political activities.