On Sunday (October 12), members of the Punjabi community gathered at the Jarnail Arts Studio in Surrey for the presentation of a Human Rights Defender award to a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. The online publication Radical Desi conferred this honour on Sen. Baltej Singh Dhillon after he criticized Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision to invite his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, to the G7 summit. Carney welcomed India’s prime minister despite an ongoing investigation into the Indian intelligence agency’s alleged involvement in the murder of Surrey Delta Gurdwara president Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
As Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand was visiting India where she met Modi to strengthen diplomatic relations with New Delhi, Dhillon was honoured for standing up for a Canadian citizen killed on Canadian soil. Two past recipients of awards from Radical Desi, Annie Ohana and Dr. Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal, presented a certificate and a framed Radical Desi cover to the senator. Ohana is an anti-racism educator and social justice activist; Dhaliwal is a prominent media personality and commentator.
Earlier this year, Radical Desi designated Dhillon as Person of the Year 2025 for writing a column condemning Carney’s decision to welcome Modi.
Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau informed the House of Commons in September 2023 that Indian government agents could have been behind the assassination of Nijjar. That ruptured relations between the two countries.
Nijjar was shot to death at the gurdwara the same year in June. Four men of the Indian origin face charges in connection with his death.
Calendar unveiled after Dhillon awarded
Dhillon questioned the logic behind opening doors for Modi when the investigation is still ongoing. He also asked what message that sent to the world.
The Sunday event coincided with the weekend of Nijjar’s birthday, which fell on October 11. Since October 12 was also the first death anniversary of former Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, a moment of silence was held in his memory at the beginning of the program. Saibaba was disabled below the waist and relied on a wheelchair for mobility. He was thrown behind bars under trumped-up charges for merely defending the rights of the poor and marginalized. Many Canadians, including Nijjar, raised their voices for his liberation.
Later in the program, a calendar dedicated to the 30th year since the martyrdom of human rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra was released. Khalra was abducted and killed by Indian police in 1995 for investigating enforced disappearances during the Sikh militancy in Punjab.
The painting of Khalra on the Radical Desi calendar for 2026 was made by the late Jarnail Singh, who passed away this year. His wife Baljit Kaur and his daughter Niti Singh were among those who participated in the unveiling. The event was purposely held at his studio as a tribute to his work.
Others in attendance included former B.C. education minister Rachna Singh; Pakistani Canadian leader Saif Pannu; Kamaljit Singh Thind, director of Mehak Punjab Di TV, which is a media partner in the annual calendar; and the director and founder of Radical Desi, Gurpreet Singh.
Gurpreet Singh is a B.C. author and co-founder of Radical Desi. In addition, he hosts a daily news and current affairs show on YouTube called Navin Taazi. Follow Gurpreet Singh on Bluesky @gurpreetradical.bsky.social. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia and Bluesky @pancouver.bsky.social. The publication is also on Instagram @PancouverMedia.
