Khalistan Referendum

What it is: The Khalistan Referendum is an unofficial, non-binding vote organised by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in cities where Sikhs have settled. Voters are asked whether Punjab should be an independent Sikh state. Wikipedia describes it as SFJ’s “Referendum 2020” campaign. It has no legal force in India or in the countries that host it.

How it has run: The first phase was in London on 31 October 2021. Votes have followed in Geneva, Italy, Canada, Australia and the United States. Turnout figures come from SFJ or from outlets repeating them, and independent counts are rare. Wikipedia, drawing mostly on media reports, lists about 185,000 across two phases in Canada in 2022 and 2023 and about 127,000 at San Francisco in January 2024, and notes that the London figure was disputed: Hindustan Times reported fewer than 150 voters in the first half of that day. CTV said only “thousands” voted at Surrey on 29 October 2023. Of the Ottawa vote on 23 November 2025, Geo TV reported more than 53,000 voters from four provinces, a figure it did not attribute but which came from SFJ’s side. Lines were nearly two kilometres long in snow, and voting ran past the 3 pm close.

India’s response: After the Brampton vote of 19 September 2022 the foreign ministry spokesman, Arindam Bagchi, called it a “farcical exercise” and said it was “deeply objectionable” that what he described as an extremist-led, politically motivated exercise was allowed in a friendly country. Canada reportedly replied that its citizens may assemble and express views peacefully and lawfully, and that it would not recognise the referendum. After Ottawa, India’s High Commissioner, Dinesh Patnaik, told CBC: “You know how farcical this is,” while saying India does not object to peaceful political demands. India has banned SFJ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act since 10 July 2019, and a tribunal upheld a five-year extension in January 2025.

What Sikh bodies say: SFJ’s general counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, linked the Ottawa vote to the 1984 violence, and SFJ tied it to demands for accountability for the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Pannun said the aim was a political defeat of Narendra Modi’s policies. Other Sikh bodies take a different route to the same question: Dal Khalsa argues for a plebiscite under UN supervision rather than elections under the Indian system.

Where it stands: The latest vote confirmed in published reports is Ottawa in November 2025. The American case against the alleged plot to kill Pannun is still before a federal court in New York: Nikhil Gupta pleaded guilty on 13 February 2026, and his sentencing is set for 20 November 2026.