OTTAWA/WASHINGTON: Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a US-based pro-Khalistan advocacy group, has alleged that a serving Indian diplomat in Ottawa attempted to arrange the killing of Inderjeet Singh Gosal, describing it as a “contract-to-kill” plot involving $50,000 in cash offered to a purported hitman.

SFJ said Canadian security and intelligence agencies were aware of the alleged plot and that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had recently offered Gosal protective measures due to what the group described as an imminent threat.

Gosal has previously been identified in Canadian media as an organiser in the Sikh separatist campaign for an independence referendum for Punjab, and has said he received a police “duty-to-warn” notice related to threats he believes originated from India — an allegation India has repeatedly rejected in broader disputes.

SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said the group was making the allegations public to prevent another killing of a Sikh activist in Canada, referencing the June 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia — an event that triggered a major diplomatic rupture between Canada and India.

In its statement, SFJ also called for supporters to closely monitor the movements of India’s High Commissioner in Canada, Dinesh K Patnaik. Public safety experts generally discourage citizens from taking such actions and instead urge anyone with credible threat information to report it directly to police. Patnaik is listed by India as its High Commissioner to Canada.

The allegations surface amid a sensitive period in Canada-India relations. In October 2024, Canada expelled multiple Indian diplomats, linking them to an RCMP investigation into violent criminal activity connected to the Nijjar case — an accusation India called “preposterous.”

Recently, Gosal has been offered “Witness Protection” by the RCMP owing to an imminent threat to his life.

According to Pannun, multiple Canadian security channels — including the RCMP, which has recently offered witness protection to Gosal — have already received and assessed intelligence regarding the Contract-To-Kill plot against Gosal.

This information was communicated to the highest levels of the Canadian government, including: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Office; Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s Office; and Minister of Public Safety’s Office.

Pannun stated: “Gosal’s Contract-To-Kill plot is the direct outcome of Prime Minister Carney opening trade talks with Modi without demanding accountability. Canadian sovereignty has collapsed to the point where Indian diplomats feel free to orchestrate killings.”

An ordinary street-side snack turned into an ordeal for a woman from Auraiya city of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, when her jaw dislocated while eating golgappas, Indian media reported.

The incident involved a woman named Inkila Devi, who stepped out with a family member for a routine clinic visit. On their way back, they stopped by a street-side golgappa stall, with the hope of enjoying the snack.

What began as a quick refreshment break took a frightening medical turn when she tried to bite into an unusually large golgappa.

Her family members, who witnessed the medical case, said that when the woman opened her mouth to bite a golgappa, it stayed open. The family took it as a normal pain, but suddenly realised that she could not close her mouth.

Subsequently, she was shifted to a hospital, where the doctor failed to set her jaw and referred her for specialised treatment.

The doctor described the condition as unexpected, believing that she had excessively opened her mouth, which led her to this situation.

The woman opened her mouth to eat, but she could not move her jaw further after putting a golgappa into her mouth, NDTV quoted a doctor, who described the case “difficult” and “rare”.

However, the hospital said that the woman is being treated and she was provided with special care to restore her to a normal condition.

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration has said that it assured neighbouring Tajikistan it is ready to tighten border security and conduct joint investigations, after attacks, which Dushanbe said were launched from Afghan territory killed five Chinese nationals over the past week.

In a call with his Tajik counterpart on Tuesday, Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi expressed regret and said Kabul is prepared to boost coordination between border forces, adding that “joint measures against malicious elements are a pressing necessity”.

“The Islamic Emirate is fully prepared to strengthen border security, conduct joint investigations, and engage in any form of coordination,” Muttaqi said, according to a statement from the Afghan foreign ministry.

He added that “an atmosphere of trust” had recently developed between the two countries and should not be undermined.

Tajik authorities said on Monday the two attacks, including one involving drones dropping grenades, had also injured five Chinese workers. China’s embassy confirmed the casualties and urged Chinese citizens to leave the frontier area.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon ordered tighter border controls following the incidents, which occurred along the remote mountainous frontier.

China is a major investor in Tajikistan, a Russia-aligned Central Asian state of around 11 million people.