Police in Surrey, B.C., are investigating after multiple gunshots were fired into a restaurant in the city’s Newton neighbourhood early Thursday morning. The Surrey Police Service says staff were still inside the business when the gunshots rang out in the 8400 block of 120 Street at approximately 1:50 a.m., however no injuries were reported. Investigators have confirmed the gunfire targeted a restaurant owned by Indian actor and comedian Kapil Sharma. Kap’s Café recently opened at 8496 120 Street. News outlets in India reported that a Khalistani separatist leader claimed responsibility for the shooting. However, advocacy group Sikhs for Justice dismissed the reports as “a disinformation campaign” meant to discredit the movement seeking to establish an independent Sikh state, called Khalistan. An eight-second video posted to social media shows 10 gunshots being fired from a handgun towards the business. The video, apparently filmed from the shooter’s perspective inside a vehicle, has not been verified by police. The investigation is still in its early stages and “connections to other incidents and potential motives are being examined,” the Surrey police said in a statement. “There is currently no suspect information available to share.” ‘India’s hybrid warfare’ The incident is reminiscent of an attack last September that targeted the Vancouver Island home of Indo-Canadian musician AP Dhillon. Videos of that attack, including one filmed from the shooter’s perspective, showed more than a dozen gunshots fired into the singer’s Colwood home in the middle of the night. One suspect in the Colwood attack was later arrested while another was believed to have fled Canada immediately following the shooting, police said. “The disinformation following the Surrey shooting is part of India’s hybrid warfare strategy — combining violence with propaganda — to criminalize Sikh activism and delegitimize the Khalistan referendum,” Sikhs for Justice lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in a statement Thursday, referring to an ongoing referendum on the creation of an independent Sikh state. “In reality, the Khalistan referendum is a peaceful, lawful, and democratic campaign currently underway in multiple countries, including Canada.” The Canadian Security Intelligence Service, in its annual report last month, accused the Indian government and security services of foreign interference targeting supporters of a free Khalistan in Canada. Last month also marked the second anniversary of the murder of prominent Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey. Four Indian nationals have since been charged with first-degree murder in Nijjar’s killing, which former prime minister Justin Trudeau said was credibly linked to agents of the Indian government. Authorities are asking anyone with information related to Thursday’s shooting to contact the Surrey police non-emergency line at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
