Since 2023, the Sikh Coalition has undertaken a body of work around “transnational repression,” or TNR. TNR is described by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as when foreign governments “stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States.” Global events have made clearer what has been widely known and discussed throughout the Sikh diaspora for decades: The government of India moves to suppress Sikh freedom of expression through its own agents, criminal actors, and other proxies.

We will not accept Indian TNR, both because it is a breach of U.S. sovereignty or a threat to our national security, and because it is an unacceptable attack on the religious and political freedoms of Sikhs in this country and around the world. Moreover, we believe that all actors involved in Indian TNR must be held accountable—from street-level actors to the government forces who direct them.

Read more about our work in this area and find additional resources below.

Background and Context

In September of 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canadian intelligence agencies were “pursuing credible allegations of a potential link” between the government of India and the murder of Canadian Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia the previous June. Roughly a year later, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police issued an extraordinary announcement regarding their ongoing investigation, describing India as a “significant threat to public safety” in Canada given the “breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India.” Six Indian diplomats were subsequently expelled from Canada as a result of their actions to surveil, intimidate, and target (through criminal proxies) Canadian Sikhs.

Meanwhile, in the United States, November of 2023 saw the release of a U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) indictment detailing charges against Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national who allegedly collaborated with a representative of the government of India to plan at least one assassination of a Sikh American. Per the indictment, the case was connected to the alleged assassination of Nijjar, and at least three more similar plots were in the works. Then, in October of  2024, the DOJ unsealed a second indictment against Vikash Yadav, the then-Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer who was directing this plot. Further public reporting has since suggested that more senior RAW officers and other individuals in Prime Minister Modi’s government likely knew about the plans to assassinate Sikhs abroad. Gupta has since been arrested and pleaded guilty to charges, with sentencing to come in the fall of 2026; Yadav remains at large. 

The Sikh Coalition has chosen to undertake advocacy work in response to transnational repression because we are gravely concerned about 1) the possibility of efforts to harm or kill peaceful, law-abiding Sikhs in the United States, and 2) broader narratives that seek to paint some or all of the Sikh community as dangerous extremists on the basis of political views they may or may not hold. The Sikh Coalition does not take an institutional position on Khalistan, but firmly believes that all people have a right to free speech and to lawfully advocate for their beliefs. We also denounce any and all calls for political violence. 

Resources

Sangat members who believe they are under threat of TNR, are concerned for their safety, and feel comfortable doing so should immediately contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Note that the FBI has more information available in Punjabi, including a January 2024 Punjabi language public service announcement about TNR.

Additionally, if you are traveling abroad, U.S. Embassies and Consulates (including those in India) can assist if a U.S. citizen is arrested, missing, is a victim of violent crime, becomes ill or dies, or when there is otherwise a need for immediate help. U.S. citizens traveling abroad should consider the following cautionary measures:

Select Work

The Sikh Coalition is a leading voice on Indian TNR. 

Our flagship project in this space is a report titled “So Many Targets: Contextualizing Modern Indian Transnational Repression Against the Sikh Community.” This report was published in July of 2024 and updated with a second edition in November of 2024; it features key background information as well as case studies sourced from interviews with directly affected sangat members. A third edition of So Many Targets is coming soon. Beyond the report, the Sikh Coalition has:

  • Championed federal and state-level legislation to address TNR;
  • Provided subject matter experts, resources, and context to federal agencies, federal and state legislators, and allies in the civil rights ecosystem—many of whom hear about TNR for the first time from us;
  • Engaged sangat members with concerns about TNR and helped elevate their stories to policymakers and the general public; and
  • Published and spoken to reporters about developments in Indian TNR.

View some of the Sikh Coalition’s specific work in response to Indian TNR below, with the most recent instances listed first.

  • August 19, 2026: Sikh Coalition letter to senior State Department officials on the upcoming visit of RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat to the United States, arguing that Bhagwat should be denied entry to the country.
  • August 5, 2026: Sikh Coalition letter to to senior State Department officials on the intersection of transnational repression and recent arrests in “Operation Hard Ball.”
  • May 7, 2026: Submitted written statement for the record for the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom’s hearing on “Deteriorating Religious Freedom Conditions in India.”
  • October 15, 2025: Sikh Coalition letter to senior State Department officials regarding new evidence emerging from the Gupta trial.
  • September 24, 2025: Sikh Coalition-led letter, signed by 10+ allied and interfaith organizations, to Secretary of State Rubio in favor of designating India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC).
  • June 24, 2025: Submitted written statement for the record for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s hearing on “Transnational Repression: Trends and Policy Approaches.”
  • March 28, 2025: Sikh Coalition letter to policymakers at the Department of State, calling on them to adopt USCIRF’s recommendation to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom.
  • January 21, 2025: Sikh Coalition letter to President Trump outlining the issue of Indian transnational repression and requesting an update on the status of U.S. investigations into the same.
  • October 18, 2024: Sikh Coalition letter to President Biden on the unsealed indictment charging an employee of the Indian government in the 2023 assassination plot
  • October 17, 2024: Sikh Coalition statement on the unsealed indictment charging an employee of the Indian government in the 2023 assassination plot
  • August 27, 2024: Sikh Coalition letter to Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri in light of a potential additional assassination attempt against Sikh activists in California
  • June 18, 2024: A message from the Sikh Coalition’s Executive Director on transnational repression work
  • May 2, 2024: Sikh Coalition letter to President Biden calling for action and accountability given revelations that the RAW was involved in the assassination plot
  • February 15, 2024: Submitted written statement for the record for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s hearing on “Transnational Repression and the U.S. Response”
  • January 17, 2024: Submitted written statement for the record for the House Homeland Security Committee’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence Hearing
  • December 18, 2023: A message from the Sikh Coalition’s Executive Board Chairman on transnational repression work
  • December 6, 2023: Sikh Coalition statement for the record submitted to Congress for the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee’s December hearing on transnational repression, which was cited during the hearing by Chairman Ben Cardin
  • December 6, 2023: Sikh Coalition letter to the White House regarding the unsealed indictment 
  • November 30, 2023: Sikh Coalition press statement regarding the unsealed indictment around a plot to assassinate a U.S.-based Sikh 
  • November 17, 2023: Sikh Coalition-led letter, signed by allied Sikh organizations, in support of the Transnational Repression Policy Act
  • September 21, 2023: First Sikh Coalition letter to the White House regarding the threat of transnational repression against the Sikh community

As a final note, the Sikh Coalition remains grateful to our longtime partners at the World Sikh Organization in Canada who remain at the forefront of the ongoing international conversation, our fellow U.S.-based Sikh organizations that continue to collaborate with us in this space for the common good, and allied Hindu organizations and community leaders who continue to amplify concerns expressed by the Sikh community around our safety.