Sikh independence vote takes place in B.C. amid Canada-India tensions

Thousands of Sikh voters are expected to turn out today in the Metro Vancouver municipality of Surrey, to vote in an unofficial referendum at the centre of Canada's ongoing tensions with India. Organizers say the referendum on Khalistan — an independent state in India proposed by some Sikhs — is taking place at the same Surrey gurdwara where activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June. Today's vote is the second round of the referendum in British Columbia, after organizers said the first ballot on Sept. 10 was so popular that voting couldn't be completed in one day. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in the House of Commons on Sept. 18 that there were "credible allegations" potentially linking India's government to Nijjar's killing. Ballot spokesman Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says Trudeau's statement has created more open conversations around India and its handling of the Khalistani independence movement, while allowing its supporters to become more vocal without fear of retribut