Surrey Sikh gurdwara aids wildfire victims as extortion shootings and Bishnoi gang shadow the community
Surrey's Sikh and South Asian community is navigating a week of striking contrasts. A local gurdwara has rallied to collect donations for the thousands of British Columbians displaced by a devastating wildfire season, embodying the seva tradition at its most practical. At the same time, the community faces a darker picture: extortion-related shootings have struck the home of Cricket Canada president Arvinder Khosa for a second time, Sikh activists across B.C. and Ontario have been warned by police of credible threats against their lives, and a film documenting Sikh human rights history has been banned in India but is drawing packed community screenings in Surrey. On a more hopeful note, a Surrey organisation has secured a milestone: Bhangra is entering B.C. high school classrooms.
Surrey Sikh gurdwara launches donation drive for B.C. wildfire evacuees
A Sikh gurdwara in Surrey has opened a donation campaign to support communities affected by the devastating wildfires that swept through the Okanagan and other parts of southern British Columbia in the summer of 2026. The wildfire season caused the destruction of hundreds of homes along Okanagan Lake, with thousands of residents forced to evacuate under emergency orders. The gurdwara's response reflects the deep-rooted Sikh principle of seva — selfless service to those in need — which has historically driven Sikh institutions to organise langar kitchens, blood donation camps, flood relief operations, and disaster fundraising in communities well beyond their own congregations. Gurdwaras in Metro Vancouver and Surrey have a record of rapid-response charitable mobilisation during regional emergencies. For the Surrey community, which has a large Punjabi-speaking Sikh population with many members whose families have lived in B.C. for multiple generations, stepping up during provincial crises is understood as both a civic duty and an expression of belonging. The donation drive invites both financial contributions and material goods useful to evacuees — food, clothing, and household supplies. Residents looking to contribute are encouraged to contact the gurdwara directly. The initiative also underscores the role that South Asian religious institutions play in the broader fabric of B.C. civil society, particularly in moments of collective stress when community-level response can precede slower-moving government support. [1]
🗳️ Sikh activists in B.C. and Ontario warned by police of credible threats to their lives
CityNews Toronto reported that police have issued formal warnings to Sikh activists in both British Columbia and Ontario, advising them of credible threats against their lives. The warnings come in a climate of heightened anxiety within the Sikh community in Canada following the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Surrey gurdwara and subsequent revelations about the alleged involvement of Indian state-linked actors in plots targeting members of the Sikh diaspora. The RCMP and other law enforcement bodies have in recent months intensified their outreach to individuals in the Sikh community who may be considered targets, particularly those who have been vocal advocates on issues related to Khalistan or who have spoken publicly about events in Punjab. Activists receiving these warnings are placed in the difficult position of having to navigate public-facing advocacy work while managing personal security concerns. The pattern of threats adds to a broader sense of vulnerability among Sikh community leaders in Canada, who argue that the Canadian government's response to the targeting of diaspora members has been inadequate relative to the scale of the threat. Legal observers note that police warnings of this kind typically indicate that law enforcement has gathered specific intelligence pointing to identifiable risks rather than issuing generalised cautions. [2]
Cricket Canada president Arvinder Khosa's Surrey home shot at for the second time in weeks
The Surrey home of Cricket Canada president Arvinder Khosa was targeted in an extortion-related shooting for the second time in less than three weeks, CBC News reported. Front-line Surrey Police Service officers responded to reports of a shooting near 57 Avenue and 148 Street in the South Newton neighbourhood just after 4 a.m. on Thursday, June 4, 2026. The home was occupied at the time but no one was injured. The same property had previously been targeted on May 20. Surrey Police said the investigation is believed to be extortion-related, citing the prior incident and threats made against the residence. The SPS extortion response team took over the investigation. The targeting of Khosa's home illustrates the continuing pressure that South Asian community leaders and prominent figures in Metro Vancouver face from criminal organisations engaged in extortion. Cricket Canada, as the national governing body for cricket, occupies an important space in the South Asian Canadian community, where cricket is deeply embedded in cultural life and the sport's administrative leadership carries community prestige. The repeated targeting of the Cricket Canada president's private residence signals that extortion networks are willing to pursue high-profile community figures, not just those with perceived criminal or financial vulnerabilities. Law enforcement has been asked to appeal to anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the area during the relevant timeframes. [3]
National Post investigates how the Bishnoi gang uses Canada's immigration pathways to expand its network
The National Post published an investigation into how the Bishnoi gang — the India-based criminal organisation linked to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and numerous other violent crimes — has used what the report describes as Canada's comparatively permissive immigration environment to extend its operational reach into the country. Lawrence Bishnoi, currently imprisoned in India, has directed operations through associates and proxies in Canada, with his alleged lieutenant Goldy Brar operating from within the country's borders for a period. The gang has been implicated not only in the Nijjar killing but in extortion campaigns, shootings, and intimidation directed at prominent members of the Indian diaspora community in Metro Vancouver and beyond. A US Justice Department indictment against dozens of suspects in the network specifically cited its use of high-profile violent crimes to terrorise and extort Indian community members — using fear as a business tool. The National Post report examines the structural factors that may have facilitated the gang's Canadian foothold, including immigration screening gaps and the difficulty of tracking and acting against individuals with connections to foreign criminal organisations. The investigation is part of a growing body of reporting that has pushed both Canadian federal and provincial officials to acknowledge the scale of India-linked organised crime activity in British Columbia. [4]
🎓 Surrey organisation brings Bhangra into B.C. high school curriculum
A Surrey-based organisation has achieved a meaningful cultural milestone: Bhangra, the energetic Punjabi folk dance form, is now being incorporated into British Columbia high school curriculum through a programme the organisation has developed and piloted. The inclusion of Bhangra in formal B.C. school programming represents a significant step in the recognition of South Asian cultural heritage as part of the province's educational landscape. B.C. has one of the largest concentrations of Punjabi-speaking Canadians in the country, particularly in Surrey and the surrounding Fraser Valley communities, and the Punjabi language is the third most spoken in the province. Despite this demographic reality, South Asian cultural arts have historically been absent or marginal in provincial school curricula. Bhangra's distinctive drumbeat, physical vitality, and community origins in the harvest traditions of Punjab make it an accessible and engaging entry point for students from all backgrounds — its athleticism and expressiveness cross cultural lines in ways that make it effective both as arts education and as an instrument of cultural awareness. For South Asian students in B.C. schools, seeing their cultural heritage represented in class carries significance that extends beyond the dance itself — it is a form of institutional recognition that their community belongs. The Surrey organisation behind the programme has done the groundwork to make it pedagogically viable, creating materials and training for teachers to deliver it effectively. [5]
Satluj — Diljit Dosanjh film on Sikh activist banned in India — draws support at Surrey screenings
A film banned in India is finding a passionate audience in Surrey. Satluj, which stars Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh as Jaswant Singh Khalra — a Sikh human rights activist who investigated and documented the enforced disappearances of Sikhs during the Punjab conflict of the 1980s and 1990s — was blocked from release in India and pulled from an Indian streaming platform within two days of appearing. CBC News reported that the film is drawing significant community interest at private screenings across Canada, with several events planned in Surrey. Jaswant Singh Khalra was himself abducted and killed in 1995, reportedly at the hands of Punjab Police, for his work documenting cases of individuals who disappeared after arrest. His advocacy shone a light on extrajudicial killings that the Indian government has never fully accounted for. For the Sikh diaspora in Surrey, many of whom carry family memories of the Punjab conflict, Satluj carries both personal and historical resonance. Diljit Dosanjh is one of the most recognisable Punjabi cultural figures globally, and his choice to take on the role of Khalra has amplified attention to the film and to the historical episode it depicts. The film's suppression in India has, paradoxically, intensified interest in Canada, where community screenings have become acts of both cultural celebration and political solidarity. [6]
Sources: [1] Surrey Now-Leader · [2] CityNews Toronto · [3] CBC · [4] National Post · [5] Surrey Now-Leader · [6] CBC