Bakersfield, August 12, 2024, The EuropeToday: Dr. Jasmeet Bains, the first Sikh American elected to the California State Assembly and a physician specializing in addiction, has faced a series of escalating threats following her resolution last year declaring the 1984 mass killings of Sikhs in India as genocide.
In August 2023, shortly after the resolution’s adoption, four men of apparent Indian origin visited Dr. Bains’ office, issuing a chilling warning that they would “do whatever it takes to go after you.” The encounter marked the beginning of a campaign of intimidation against the assemblymember.
Since then, Dr. Bains has received over 100 threatening text messages, observed someone taking photos of her Bakersfield home from a parked truck, and found the lock on her mailbox repeatedly tampered with. The initial threat was reported to local police, and the surveillance of her home was brought to the attention of the California State Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms.
Dr. Bains’ situation has drawn increased attention following comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September, alleging credible evidence of the Indian government’s involvement in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. Following Trudeau’s remarks, the Sergeant-at-Arms conducted a security assessment of Dr. Bains’ home and advised her to take additional precautions. In October, the FBI reached out to her regarding the threats made at her office.
“My life has changed,” Dr. Bains told Reuters, explaining how she now screens phone calls, avoids traveling alone, and sometimes requests a security detail at official events. “I don’t go anywhere alone anymore. I make sure my staff is with me at all times, which is hard for someone as independent as me.”
Dr. Bains’ experience is part of a broader pattern of intimidation targeting Sikh community leaders and activists in the United States and Canada over the past year. Reuters spoke to 19 Sikh community figures, including three U.S. elected officials, who reported threats, harassment, and surveillance. Seven Sikh activists disclosed that they had been warned by the FBI or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police last year that their lives could be at risk, though the source of the threats was not specified.
These developments come amid ongoing criminal investigations into the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada and a foiled assassination attempt on another separatist leader in the United States. The Sikh community leaders described facing online harassment, doxxing, and “swatting,” a dangerous tactic where a false police report is filed to provoke an armed law enforcement response.
Dr. Bains remains resolute despite the threats, continuing her work as both a lawmaker and a physician, while taking necessary precautions to protect herself and her staff.
