BENGALURU - Mr Gill (name changed) was having dinner at home with his wife in central England when the local police knocked on the door.
"The police said they had information that my life was under threat, that I should be careful and inform them if someone is following me, or move out of my house to be safe," the British-born Sikh in his 30s told The Straits Times, while requesting anonymity.
He runs a history podcast on You Tube, and works in a digital solutions company.
"Why me? Who could want me dead?" he said he asked himself, after receiving the "threat to life warning notice" from the police in May 2023, a copy of which ST has seen. It said "your personal safety is now in danger", and advised him to get burglar alarms, change daily routines, always walk with someone, install a camera at the door and maybe even leave the area for a while.
Mr Gill said he kept looking over his shoulder for weeks.
The police refused to tell him the source of the threat. Maybe it was Sikh separatist groups he had criticised, he thought.
But he was gripped with a new fear a month later when Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a naturalised Canadian, was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in Canada, and the authorities there said Indian diplomats were involved in his murder. Mr Nijj ar had also been warned of threats to his life by the Canadian police.
Mr Gill had previously spoken on his podcast about the Indian government's repression of critics.
Now he wondered: "Could Indian state agents really be involved in targeting vocal Sikhs abroad?"
This is the question many in the Sikh diaspora of around two million are asking today, as Canadian and American leaders and law enforcement agencies accuse the Indian state and top consulate officials of targeting critics and Sikh separatists abroad.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 30, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 30, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
M2M to reunite for Singapore concert
It has been 22 years since they went away, but Norwegian pop duo M2M are back and coming to Singapore.
Industry sources say the author also wrote BTS memoir
Hybe's document on K-pop industry trends
Paddington Bear's 'high jinks' are back in third movie
LONDON - Paddington is back and he has lost none of his \"charm\" and \"high jinks\", according to English actor Hugh Bonneville, who again guides the trouble-prone bear through the third film in the hit series that saw its premiere on Nov 3.
Quincy Jones left indelible imprints on jazz, pop and hip-hop
LOS ANGELES - Quincy Jones, a major influence on American music in his work with artists ranging from Count Basie to Frank Sinatra and who then reshaped pop music by collaborating with Michael Jackson, died on Nov 3 at the age of 91.
Young Chinese pianist brings wealth of emotion
There are so many young Chinese pianists plying their art these days that it is easy to reduce them to Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Li Yundi and the rest.
White faces, open mouths
Avant-garde Japanese dance butoh finds foothold in Singapore
Seeking sleep at Hoshinoya Tokyo
TOKYO In December 2023, I check into Hoshinoya Tokyo for a sleep retreat.
Explore the bustling Ginza and Marunouchi districts in Tokyo
Ginza, located near Tokyo Station, is one of the city's busiest high-end shopping districts.
Pastoral and scenic views at JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa
JEJU - The island bursts with juicy tangerines, and is where women well into their 80s free dive for seafood against a backdrop of dormant volcanoes and tea estates.
Connecting with the city's past at The Murray Hong Kong
Although brand-new hotels pop up all the time, restored heritage buildings-turned-hotels have an allure of their own.