Investigative journalist Mocha Bezirgan was covering a Khalistan rally in downtown Vancouver on Sunday when he says he was surrounded, threatened, and briefly had his phone snatched.
“It just happened two hours ago and I’m still shaking,” Bezirgan told ANI in a phone interview. “They acted like thugs—crowding in on me, grabbing my phone, trying to stop me recording.”
Bezirgan, who has reported on Khalistan-linked demonstrations across Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and New Zealand, said the altercation was led by an agitator who has previously harassed him online.
“All of a sudden I had two or three people up in my face,” he said. “I started a backup recording on my phone; that’s when one of them yanked it out of my hand.” Vancouver police intervened and ordered the man to step away. Bezirgan has since filed a statement with the police, but no arrests have been made.
In a statement to ANI, Bezirgan emphasised, “My only goal is to do independent journalism. They want to influence me, they want to buy me. He is not even a Canadian citizen. He is from the UK. I was just there reporting on the event. Khalistanis gathered to honour their so-called martyrs, including the assassins of Indira Gandhi.”
Bezirgan described how the individuals who confronted him turned their faces away when he began filming. “One individual came up very close, asking me questions. Then suddenly 2-3 more surrounded me. I had nowhere to go.”
Fearing a physical altercation, he began recording both on his camera and phone. “As soon as I started recording, they turned their faces away. But one man kept coming closer and then grabbed my phone. That’s when the police intervened,” Bezirgan said.
The same individual allegedly followed him for several blocks and onto a SkyTrain platform. “It was clear intimidation,” he told ANI. “I have filed police reports against him before. He should be deported back to the UK.”
A set pattern
Sunday’s incident echoes earlier assaults on journalists across Canada who have attempted to cover anything even remotely associated with the Khalistan issue.
In October 2024, Canadian MP Chandra Arya addressed Parliament about the growing risks faced by journalists covering the topic. “I am very concerned by attacks on journalists who report on Khalistani extremism in Canada,” Arya said in a video on X, citing recent assaults on broadcasters like Rishi Nagar, Sameer Kaushal, and Mocha Bezirgan himself.
In September 2024, Rishi Nagar, a prominent radio host and news director for RED FM Calgary, was attacked. He alleged the assault was in retaliation for his coverage of a criminal case unrelated to Khalistan but which had agitated extremist factions.
Arya also recalled the March 2023 attack on Sameer Kaushal of Radio AM600 in Richmond, British Columbia. Kaushal was assaulted while covering a protest by Khalistan supporters and later described the incident as an attempt to muzzle independent media.
“I was in Surrey, B.C., to cover the Indian High Commissioner’s visit,” Kaushal wrote in a Twitter thread. “A pro-Khalistani group treated Canadian media like this. They pushed and threatened me in a public place. The RCMP watched as mute spectators.”
In a video he shared, Punjabi-language abuses were audible, and a police officer could be seen almost pushing Kaushal away. “Instead of stopping the culprits,” he said, “the police kept asking me to leave for my safety.”
Targeting of Indo-Canadian journalists
In another incident widely reported, Indo-Canadian radio host Deepak Punj was assaulted by three men in February 2022 as he tried to enter his studio. A day earlier, he had criticised the display of Khalistan flags and anti-India slogans during a vigil in Brampton.
“They asked me if I did a show on this topic, and then attacked me,” Punj was quoted as saying by a news channel in 2022.
No arrests were announced in Punj’s case either, and community media outlets have continued to raise concerns about selective policing and leniency toward attackers.
“These are not isolated events,” said Arya. “It’s part of a growing and organised effort to silence critics and control narratives.”
Muted Law enforcement response
The lack of meaningful legal action against repeat offenders has only increased fear among journalists. Bezirgan expressed disappointment that despite filing multiple police reports about one particular individual, he continues to face harassment. “Him being allowed to walk free is a big disappointment,” he said.
Journalists like Kaushal and Bezirgan also allege that local law enforcement agencies such as the Surrey RCMP, are either unwilling or unable to protect them from violence during public events.
As Canada continues to face diplomatic tension with India over the handling of Khalistani separatists, the media has emerged as an unexpected frontline. For many journalists of South Asian origin, the consequences of reporting on the issue are no longer theoretical.