Targeted Sikh activist from Brampton faces gun charges

Last week, Inderjeet Singh Gosal said police warned him that his life was in danger.

Since then, Gosal, a well-known Sikh activist from Brampton, has been arrested on various weapon charges.

Global News confirmed the arrest through court documents a day after there was widespread media attention in India about the charges against Gosal.

According to reports, Gosal, 36, was arrested on Sept. 19 by the OPP, which has not yet publicly released information about the case.

Earlier, Gosal went public with his claim that he is a target of a murder plot because of his commitment to the creation of an independent Sikh state. He has blamed the Indian government for plotting against him. He said the RCMP offered to provide him with protection, but he has refused.

A member of Sikhs for Justice, Gosal has been a vocal proponent of the independence movement, and his profile has risen since Hardeep Singh Nijjar, one of his close associates, was gunned down in Surrey, B.C., in 2023. Gosal and others in the Sikh community believe the Indian government is responsible for Nijjar’s death.

Gosal is also connected to the New York leader of Sikhs for Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who was also a target in a failed assassination attempt.

Gosal was arrested in Whitby and appeared in an Oshawa courtroom on Monday. Two other men, Arman Singh, 23, of Toronto, and Jagdeep Singh, 41, of New York, also appeared in court in connection with the same charges.

Last November, Gosal was charged with assault with a weapon following demonstrations in front of a Hindu temple in Brampton.

In February of 2024, police investigated after shots were fired into Gosal’s Brampton home.