CTV airs anti-Hindu slogans in Khalistani activist interview

CTV News is under fire for giving a platform to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Khalistani activist, who displayed a poster on air reading “NO Hindi,” “NO Hindutva,” and “NO Hindustan"

Source: Wikimedia Commons

CTV News is under fire for giving a platform to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Khalistani activist, who displayed a poster on air reading “NO Hindi,” “NO Hindutva,” and “NO Hindustan,” prompting accusations from Hindu groups that the network broadcast explicit anti-Hindu messaging unchallenged.

Pannun, an American-based activist and lawyer, is general counsel for Sikhs for Justice and has led diaspora-based Khalistan campaigns for over a decade.

He is considered one of the most prominent international organizers behind a series of non-binding “referendums” advocating for an independent Sikh homeland.

Thousands of Canadian Sikhs voted in one such referendum in Ottawa on Sunday.

Pannun has also drawn scrutiny from security agencies.

In 2023, both the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the RCMP opened investigations after he issued videos invoking the 1985 Air India bombing and made other public threats.

Canadian officials described the rhetoric as extremist and linked to potential security concerns.

The Khalistan movement’s history in Canada includes the Air India Flight 182 bombing, which killed 329 people — most of them Canadian citizens — and remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.

During the CTV interview, the anti-Hindu slogans displayed behind Pannun prompted objections from Hindu community groups. Critics said the messaging targeted core elements of Hindu cultural and linguistic identity. “Hindi” is spoken by hundreds of millions globally, “Hindutva” is understood by many Hindus as a cultural or spiritual framework, and “Hindustan” is a long-standing historical name for India.

The Hindu Canadian Foundation said the network gave a national platform to “hate speech and propaganda.” “By allowing this poster to be displayed, CTV has inadvertently amplified hate speech that fosters division, spreads misinformation and incites hostility toward Hindu Canadians,” the group said, calling on the broadcaster to explain how the messaging was permitted to air unchallenged.

The broadcast comes at a time of heightened tension between elements of the Khalistani movement and Hindu communities in Canada. Law-enforcement officials and community organizations have warned that escalating rhetoric risks deepening divisions within diaspora groups.