ISLAMABAD: Narendra Modi faced angry protests from Sikh diaspora activists in The Hague on Friday and Gothenburg on Saturday, with demonstrators chanting “Khalistan Zindabad” and branding the Indian prime minister a “killer” outside venues linked to his European visit.
Modi is currently on a multi-country European tour running from May 15–20, covering the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy.
Videos circulated online by journalist and activist Jagdeep Singh showed demonstrators waving Khalistan flags and shouting anti-Modi slogans late into the night outside Modi’s hotel in The Hague.
Another clip appeared to show Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval leaving the venue amid chants directed at the Indian delegation.
According to Singh, Sikh activists are enraged over what they describe as India’s expanding campaign against Sikh separatists abroad, including the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and alleged overseas targeting operations.
“We will not let that killer sleep. Modi killed our people,” protesters could be heard chanting in one of the videos posted online.
Another slogan directed at the Indian delegation said: “We are waiting outside, tell Modi to come outside.”
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh activist advocating for Khalistan, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia in 2023.
Former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau later said Canadian intelligence agencies were pursuing “credible allegations” linking agents of the Government of India to the killing on Canadian soil.
Canadian authorities subsequently stated that they had uncovered evidence suggesting Indian state-linked operatives were involved in activities posing a serious threat to public safety and national sovereignty.
India has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling them “preposterous.”
The protests also reflected broader anger among sections of the Sikh diaspora over Modi government policies in Punjab.
Singh said many demonstrators view New Delhi’s agricultural and economic policies as an assault on Punjabi farmers and Sikh identity.
He described the situation as an “econocide,” alleging that policies pushed under Modi are designed to transfer Punjab’s agricultural wealth to politically connected business elites.
The accusations reflect long-running criticism by activists of the close relationship between Modi’s government and powerful Indian billionaires, including Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.
The Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent Sikh homeland in Punjab, continues to retain support among segments of the global Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada, the United Kingdom and parts of Europe.
The demonstrations come amid growing international scrutiny of India’s conduct abroad and increasing criticism of the shrinking space for dissent under Modi’s government.
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