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A Canadian immigration tribunal has ruled that a Sikh man who provided shelter and sustenance to Khalistani militants in India for over a decade should be permitted to enter Canada. This decision was reached because it was primarily out of necessity and fear of retaliation that he offered assistance, as reported by the National Post newspaper.
Heidi Worsfold, a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board tribunal, said in a recent ruling that the Canadian government lacked sufficient grounds to label Kamaljit Ram, an Indian citizen, as inadmissible for entry into Canada on the grounds that he had offered a “safe house” and “logistical support” to Khalistani militants.
The tribunal’s verdict affirms that this Sikh individual, who sheltered and provided sustenance to armed Khalistani militants in India for over a decade, should be permitted entry to Canada due to his primary motivation being necessity and a fear of retaliation, according to the newspaper.
The original decision to bar Ram from entering Canada was made by the federal government after he disclosed to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) officers during an interview that he had intermittently harboured and fed armed Sikh militants at his farm in India between 1982 and 1992.
He also told officers that he supported the ideas promoted by followers of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a Sikh militant and leading figure of the Khalistani movement, for a separate Khalistan state and “other social issues,” according to the report.
Worsfold concluded that the government’s evaluation of Ram’s support for the armed militants at that time was overly harsh, failing to acknowledge that he repeatedly stated that he agreed to host these armed individuals because he “feared the consequences” of being on the opposing side of the group.
This ruling comes amidst a diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, sparked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s unsubstantiated allegations of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia. India has vehemently rejected these claims as “absurd” and “motivated.”
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