On Saturday, April 1, 2023, a group of pro-Khalistani elements disrupted an event organised to celebrate the Vaisakhi festival in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, reported India Today. The event was organised by the ‘Punjabi Aussie Association of South Australia’ where the Consulate General of India to Sydney, Manish Gupta, was invited as the chief guest.
The organisation that organised the event is run by a Hindu-Sikh couple. The couple Harmeet Kaur and Rajesh Thakur, who were farmer protests supporters, have reportedly been organising the festival for several years, but for the last two years, they have alleged that they have received threats from the dubious organisation Khalsa Aid for organising the event.
On Friday, March 31, the couple claimed that they were threatened with physical violence and their business destroyed by the dubious organisation Khalsa Aid for organizing the inclusive Vaisakhi fair. The couple claimed that they have also received boycott calls from one Sarabjit Singh Pipli on social media.
Harmeet Kaur further claimed that those behind the threatening messages are Khalistani supporters. She added that Sarabjit Singh Pipli told him over the call that he won’t tolerate any ‘insult in the name of Vaisakhi’ and the festival is an ‘insult to the Singhs’.
Last year, the couple had reportedly been threatened by dubious organisation Khalsa Aid’s South Australian coordinator Gurinderjit Singh Jassar, who allegedly made a threatening call to the couple, demanding to change the name of the fair. Thakur claimed Jassar said, “Vaisakhi belongs to us [Sikhs]”. When Thakur refused to budge in, Jassar allegedly got aggressive over the call and accused him of sexualising the festival.
The Khalistani movement in Australia
There have been reports of Khalistani elements rising in Australia but failing to gain support like in Canada. However, the incidents have lately been on the rise. Three Hindu temples have already been attacked in Australia, and 2023 has just started. Apart from documenting the attacks on Hindu temples, OpIndia also chronicled some events that point towards the uprising of Khalistani elements in Australia, the details of which can be read here.