Report asks U.K. government to investigate Khalistani extremism

A review commissioned by the U.K. government to examine how the government engages with faith urged it to investigate Khalistani extremism and suggested that the government develops a more “nuanced” understanding of extremism

A review commissioned by the U.K. government to examine how the government engages with faith urged it to investigate Khalistani extremism and suggested that the government develops a more “nuanced” understanding of extremism so it does not accidentally legitamise the movement.  

The review’s publication, on Wednesday, comes at a time of heightened diplomatic tension between the U.K. and India, with New Delhi alleging that London has not done enough to curb the Khalistani movement in the U.K. Pro-Khalistani activists had taken down the National Flag from then Indian High Commission building during a protest in March.

The wide-ranging review, authored by an independent adviser, Colin Bloom, and commissioned by the Boris Johnson government in October 2019, also described a “small minority” of British Hindus as becoming more animated as a result of their identification with Hindu political interests in India. It urged the U.K. government to be “attentive” to nationalist movements inciting prejudice in British society.

 The Bloom review had 22 recommendations, which ranged from combating White supremacism and forced marriages to training public servants to better understand faith. The remit of the study did not include antisemitism or Islamophobia which are being studied elsewhere along with political extremism.

The relatively extensive section on Sikh extremism begins with the significant and “overwhelmingly positive” contributions Sikhs have made to British society. The report identifies three problematic areas however: a power struggle within some Sikh communities, around the question of who legitimately represents them; the Khalistani movement – which the report describes as an “extremist fringe ideology”; some individuals and Sikh groups fuelling anti-Muslim sentiments, misogyny and sectarianism.

The review finds that there are some “aggressive” activists who “do not hesitate to abuse or bully anyone” who does not follow them. On Khalistani extremists, the study says they have been known to incite violence and intimidation to achieve their goals. About their quest for a separate homeland , the report says, “Interestingly, this territorial claim does not include the part of the Punjab located in Pakistan. It is not entirely clear if the motivation for these extremists is faith-based or not.”