SURREY (TIP): Renowned laughter man Kapil Sharma is a worried man now. His newly set up Kap’s Café in Surrey, British Columbia, has been in the news since Wednesday, July 9 night. It was the target of a violent gun attack, as eight to nine bullets were fired, allegedly with an automatic weapon, to send shock waves not only to Kapil Sharma and his family but also to his endless stream of fans and followers. The café was recently inaugurated quietly in a soft launch attended by Kapil and his wife, Ginni Chatrath.
Since an activist of the dreaded Babbar Khalsa International, a Sikh militant organization, is said to have claimed responsibility for the incident, it may have added to the worries and problems of Kapil Sharma. Harjit Singh Laddi, a wanted militant owing allegiance to Babbar Khalsa International, along with another individual, Toofan Singh, while claiming responsibility through a video clip, wants Kapil Sharma to offer a public apology for certain derogatory comments he allegedly made against Nihang Sikhs, also known as “Guru ki Ladli Fauj” (Beloved army of the Guru), in one of his shows.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) in India lists Harjit Singh Laddi as a wanted terrorist and BKI (Babbar Khalsa International) operative overseas.
In a video shared online, Laddi alleged that the attack was triggered by remarks Kapil Sharma allegedly made against Nihang Sikhs during one of his comedy shows. Intriguingly, the video of Harjit Singh Laddi did not explicitly mention BKI. Both Laddi and Toofan Singh want Kapil Sharma to issue a public apology, failing which “the matter could escalate further.”
The duo also claimed that repeated attempts were made to contact Kapil Sharma’s manager, which were ignored, prompting them to carry out this act to “get his attention.”
Media reports and initial inputs suggest that Harjit Singh Laddi, along with Kulbir Singh Sidhu, has been allegedly linked to multiple extortion, murder, and gang-related activities in Canada and India, including the 2024 murder of a BSP leader in Punjab’s Nangal. Both men operate under the cover of BKI and have been accused of several targeted killings and attempted assassinations.
Of late, there has been a surge in gang-linked terror attacks in various Canadian cities, including Surrey (British Columbia), Brampton (Ontario), and Calgary (Alberta). Several Sikh organizations have been accusing Indian agents of masterminding these attacks. They further amplify concerns over rising violence and cross-border terrorism. The recent attack on Kapil Sharma’s Café, however, appears to be ideological rather than driven by extortion.
Those who owned up to the firing claim the attack was not to demand money but to demand a public apology, as they felt “offended” by what they termed as “insulting comments” made by Kapil Sharma about the Nihang community. The exact content or context of those remarks remains unclear.
(Prabhjot is a senior journalist based in Brampton, Canada. He can be reached at prabhjot416@gmail.com)
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