KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
The proposed Khalistan referendum event scheduled to take place at a Surrey school on September 10 has been officially cancelled.
The board of trustees at Tamanwis Secondary School revoked permission for the event following concerns raised by 40 societies with both the City of Surrey and the Provincial Government.
Ritinder Matthew, the Surrey school board’s associate director, communication, said, “Earlier today, our district cancelled a community rental of one of our schools due to a violation of our rental agreement. Promotional materials for the event featured images of our school, alongside images of a weapon. Despite repeated attempts to address the issue, the event organisers failed to remove these concerning images, and materials continued to be posted throughout Surrey and on social media.”
“As a school district, our primary mission is to provide quality education and support to our students and ensure a safe environment for our school communities. Anyone renting our facilities must adhere to this.”
She added, “Our decision is in no way an endorsement of, or criticism of, any political position.”
The school’s hall had been rented by an Ontario resident for what was described as a “community event.”
The local community initiated a campaign against the event after organisers associated with Sikhs For Justice led by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, displayed posters of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, and weapons throughout the city.
The Concerned Residents of Surrey group demanded an immediate halt to the process by the Surrey School District, preventing any local school from being used to promote terrorism.
The Indo-Canadian Workers Association (ICWA) also called for the event’s cancellation. In a letter to the school board, Satinder Sangha, media coordinator for ICWA, expressed concerns about the divisive nature of the referendum campaign, stating it damaged the communal harmony of the Indo-Canadian community.
“We are very concerned that a public school is being utilised. The posters with military tones and clear portrayal of weapons are divisive. We believe no public institutions should be utilised for an external political event,” Sangha wrote.
Earlier, Mayor Brenda Locke, during an interview with Ivan Scott of Surrey Talk Radio, had strongly condemned the presence of posters depicting AK-47s, but emphasised that the Surrey City Council has no legal say in how the Surrey School District uses its school premises.
A statement from the Concerned Group of Residents further revealed that the event organisers had fraudulently booked Tamanwis School without disclosing the nature of the event, which infringed on the unity and integrity of another sovereign nation.
The presence of the posters at the school had stirred widespread dismay. Joginder Bassi, a journalist, had reached out to the trustees regarding the event, highlighting that parents were hesitant to send their children to school due to the display of posters featuring terrorists and firearms. He sought an interview with the trustees for his report
Local residents welcomed the event’s cancellation, emphasising the importance of maintaining peace and harmony in the community. Maninder Singh Gill, a Surrey resident, expressed his support for the decision, stating, “We welcome this decision of the government and the school board; it is important to maintain peace and harmony.”