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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JANUARY 19, 2024 | The Indian Eye 19

tortion racket threatening local busi- the recent arrests announced by Sur- The unsettling turn of events Monday.
ness owners. rey RCMP did not offer much com- prompted India’s External Affairs Threatening that the ceremony
On December 27, the house of fort. Ministry spokesperson, Randhir is going to have a “global conse-
the society’s president’s son was tar- The police is dealing with similar Jaiswal, to express grave concern quence”, Pannun said, “every Mus-
geted. Although Satish Kumar’s son investigations of extortion schemes about the safety of the Indian com- lim must protest”. Pannun’s threats
was not injured in the incident, bul- targeting business owners in South munity in Canada. come as preparations for the Ram
let holes hit his property in Newton Asian communities in at least three Back in the US, Ahead of the Mandir’s Pran Pratishtha’ in Ayod-
area. Kumar, a business owner and provinces. According to tactic inves- Consecration of the Ram Temple hya are in full swing with over one lakh
president of the Lakshmi Narayan tigators, these schemes are common- In Ayodhya, Khalistan leader Gur- devotees expected to be in the city
Mandir temple, said, “The commu- ly used by organised crime groups in patwant Singh Pannun called for for the event, which will be attended
nity is very scared right now.” Punjab region. shut down of airports from Amritsar by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“A lot of people got phone calls In early December 2023, police to Ayodhya during the Ram Tem- The newly-inaugurated Mahari-
and letters...I heard some people in British Columbia’s Abbotsford ple Pran Pratishtha ceremony. The shi Valmiki International Airport in
gave them the money too,” he was revealed that extortion letters had Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group chief Ayodhya has already received more
cited as saying according to Global been circulating among businesses also exhorted Muslims in the coun- than 40 requests for landing char-
News report. in the city and that its major crime try to ‘oppose the ceremony and tered flights for the mega-religious
The Metro Vancouver business unit was looking into the matter. urged them to carve out ‘Urduistan’ event.
owner said the incident had rattled Other police agencies are now from India. Pannun was declared a designat-
him and he is calling for attendance involved in a multi-jurisdictional “From Amritsar to Ayodhya, ed terrorist in 2020 by India under
at the forum in Surrey. He said, “My investigation in British Columbia. shut down airports. Now is the time, the Unlawful Activities Prevention
children are afraid, my mom and dad According to the police, similar ex- Muslims, you carve out a country Act (UAPA). He is wanted in nearly
are very afraid, you know, they don’t tortion schemes were being investi- Urduistan from India,” Pannun said two dozen cases, including some of
want me leaving the house.” He said gated in Ontario and Alberta. in a fresh video message released on terrorism and sedition in India.

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