The Crown has withdrawn charges against two of three Sikh activists arrested in September after police alleged a loaded handgun was found in a vehicle in Whitby, Ont.Jagdeep Singh, of New York, said Thursday he was informed by his lawyer that all charges against him had been dropped. Charges against a second man, Arman Singh, were withdrawn the following day.“The email said you can go back to the States, you're good to go,” Jagdeep Singh said. “I can go anywhere in Canada, or I can go back home.” .All three men were originally arrested on Sept. 19 and faced several firearms-related offences, including careless use and illegal possession of a prohibited weapon.The charges against the third man, Inderjit Singh Gosal of Brampton, Ont., remain before the court. Gosal, a senior figure in the Khalistani separatist movement and current head of the Canadian chapter of Sikhs for Justice, declined to comment on specifics of the case but said the arrests should be viewed in the context of threats he claims to have received.Following the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023, Gosal replaced him as leader of the Canadian chapter of Sikhs for Justice.He said RCMP officers repeatedly warned him of risks to his safety in the weeks leading up to the arrest and that he was previously the target of a drive-by shooting at a Brampton property in February. No one was injured."In Canada, mischief is treated as a worse offence than illegal, loaded firearms I guess. Further proof we are a country ruled by feelings instead of by the rule of law," Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich said. Tamara Lich was convicted in April 2025 of the criminal offense of mischief related to her role in the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” protest in Ottawa, and in October 2025 she received an 18-month conditional sentence (comprising 12 months of house arrest followed by 6 months under curfew) rather than active imprisonment..Gosal said he was later advised there were alleged hired shooters in Canada and was offered witness protection, which he declined.Following the withdrawal of charges, Jagdeep Singh said he plans to stay in Canada to participate in a Sikh independence referendum event in Ottawa this weekend. Sikhs for Justice has organized similar votes internationally, drawing criticism from the Indian government, which considers the movement a threat to national sovereignty.Gosal, currently out on bail, is also expected to attend. His case remains active.
