Monitoring Desk
MELBOURNE: A large number of Sikhs in Australia on Sunday stood in queues to cast their votes for the Khalistan Referendum being held under the auspices of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
According to media reports, Sikh community members living in and around Melbourne gathered at the spot to cast their votes at 7:00 am local time with the religious Sikh prayers led by the local leaders.
According to eyewitnesses, the queues stretched to over two kilometers within a short period. Enthusiastic Sikh elderly, youth, men, and women were seen enthusiastically forming queues while carrying banners and flags supporting their rights for the creation of Khalistan.
Sikh men arrived in cars, jeeps, and coaches to participate in voting amidst the traditional playing of songs and music.
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) movement has announced voting for the Australian chapter Khalistan independence referendum at Federation Square in Melbourne on January 29.
Starting in October 2021, the voting in the referendum has so far been held in Canada, the UK, Switzerland, and Italy.
Khalistan Referendum
During a press conference in Melbourne, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said that the Modi-led Indian government was trying to “criminalize” the attempt of Sikhs to demand a separate state.
He said that the Indian government had declared the ‘Khalistan referendum’ illegal and an act of terrorism.
According to media reports, Australia is home to around 209,000 Sikhs, accounting for 0.8 percent of the total population. Sikhs are Australia’s fifth-largest and fastest-growing religious group, according to the 2021 census.
About Khalistan, the SFJ had proposed that this would be achieved by carving out the north Indian state of Punjab, parts of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, and several districts of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Australian Sikhs, along with millions of others worldwide, were expected to vote on January 29 in a referendum to establish a separate Sikh state in India, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) posted on its website.
Sikhs have faced increasing discrimination in India, especially with the growth of Hindu nationalism.
It added that in 1984, thousands died in communal violence after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi.
