Death, Suspicion and the Sikh Diaspora

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How the sudden death of a Sikh activist in Birmingham sparked concern and suspicion in the community. The sudden death of Avtar Singh Khanda in Birmingham in 2023 immediately aroused concern in the Sikh community. After all, Mr Khanda was a leading figure in the campaign for an independent Sikh homeland – a campaign which has long aggravated successive Indian governments. Police said there was nothing suspicious about his death - the official cause was an aggressive form of Leukaemia - but friends and family remained unconvinced. Their concern was heightened when, not long after Mr Khanda's death, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed there were ‘credible allegations’ that Indian agents were behind the murder of a Sikh man in British Columbia – an allegation the Indian government has strongly denied and called ‘absurd’. Are Sikhs in Britain are being targeted too? BBC Religion Editor Aleem Maqbool investigates. Producer: Beth McLeod