On a bright August morning, 60-year-old Gurtej Singh Cheema completed his daily prayers in his Sacramento home before heading to the California State Capitol. The retired clinical professor of internal medicine joined more than 150 Sikh Americans who had converged from across the state. Their goal: to voice support for the California anti-intimidation bill, legislation they believe is crucial to community safety.

California is home to about 250,000 Sikh Americans — roughly 40 percent of the U.S. Sikh population — with roots in the state dating back over a century. But the climate for diaspora communities has shifted. A spate of attacks and threats against Sikh activists in North America, which U.S. and Canadian officials have linked to Indian government operations, has left many on edge. Supporters say law enforcement still lacks training to identify “transnational repression,” a term used by the FBI for foreign governments’ efforts to intimidate or harm diaspora members inside the United States.

Story Highlights

• Bill Overview: The California anti-intimidation bill mandates officer training to recognize and respond to transnational repression.

• Supporters: Sikh Coalition, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Jakara Movement, Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council, and the California Police Chiefs Association.

• Opponents: Hindu American Foundation, Coalition of Hindus of North America, Bay Area Jewish Coalition, The Khalsa Today, and several county law-enforcement agencies.

• Backdrop: Rising fears after alleged foreign-linked harassment, including high-profile cases in the U.S. and Canada.

• Next Step: Bill returns to the California Senate for a final vote before heading to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

A Bill Shaped by Community Pressure

“The bill closes a critical gap in our public safety system and gives law enforcement the training they need to identify foreign interference when it happens in our neighborhoods,” said Democratic state senator Anna Caballero, who authored the measure.

Caballero represents California’s 14th Senate District, which has a significant Sikh population. She co-authored the bill with Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, California’s first Sikh Assembly member, and Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria.

The proposal would direct the state’s Office of Emergency Services to create specialized training for police officers to recognize and respond to transnational repression — from online trolling to in-person intimidation.

Community Lines Drawn

Several Sikh and multi-faith groups have endorsed the bill, including the Sikh Coalition, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Jakara Movement, Hindus for Human Rights, and the Indian American Muslim Council. The California Police Chiefs Association also supports the measure.

But opposition is vocal. The Hindu American Foundation, the Coalition of Hindus of North America, the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, and even a Sikh organization, The Khalsa Today, have raised alarms. The Santa Clara Attorney’s Office and Riverside County Sheriff’s Office also object.

Critics argue the measure could unintentionally target Hindu Americans opposed to the Khalistan movement, a campaign to carve out a separate Sikh nation from India, and could institutionalize bias against Indian Americans.

‘Any Efforts That Help a Community Feel Safe’

Cheema, representing the Capital Sikh Center in Sacramento, said he came to testify because the stakes felt personal.

“Any efforts that help a community feel safe, and you are part of that community — naturally, you would support it,” he told reporters outside the hearing room.

Many attendees had driven overnight from Los Angeles, 385 miles away, or taken time off work to appear before the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Their presence underscored the urgency supporters feel around the California anti-intimidation bill.

Rising Fears of Foreign Interference

The FBI defines transnational repression as when foreign governments “intimidate, silence, coerce, harass or harm” members of diaspora and exile communities inside the United States.

The backdrop to the bill is striking. In 2023, Canada accused India of masterminding the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, a charge New Delhi denies. Later that year, U.S. prosecutors said Indian operatives plotted to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based Sikh activist, in a scheme foiled by an FBI informant.

Several other Sikh activists have since received warnings from law enforcement about potential threats. Even Bains, the bill’s co-author, was reportedly threatened in August 2023 after California recognized the 1984 anti-Sikh violence in India as genocide.

Concerns Over Bias

Opponents such as Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation, say the bill lacks adequate safeguards.

“I believe that they have not gone far enough in providing guardrails to ensure that law enforcement does not institutionalize biases against groups from specific countries of origin or with certain viewpoints on geopolitical issues,” Kalra said in an interview.

He noted that Hindu temples have been vandalized with pro-Khalistan slogans. “How can the Hindu American community feel safe reporting these incidents without fear of being accused of being a foreign agent or having law enforcement downplaying the vandalisms?” he asked.

Supporters counter that the training will be crafted by professionals, not activists, and will apply broadly to all foreign interference.

“The coalition of groups supporting includes both Sikh and Hindu organizations as well as Muslim, Kashmiri, Iranian, South Asian, immigrants’ rights, human rights, and law enforcement organizations,” said Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition.

Scholars Weigh In

“Critics of other governments are all too routinely harassed, threatened, or even assaulted by foreign governments or their proxies within the U.S.,” said Rohit Chopra, professor of communication at Santa Clara University. “Even if the bill has some deterrent effect, which I believe it will, it will be well worth it.”

Stanford anthropology professor Thomas Blom Hansen said the legislation addresses real concerns about online surveillance and harassment but does not target any one country. “When an organization comes out strongly against such a bill, it almost feels like a preemptive admission — as if they see themselves as being implicated by what the bill seeks to prevent,” Hansen observed.

Looking Ahead

The California anti-intimidation bill has already cleared the Assembly and now returns to the Senate for a final vote. If passed, it will head to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

Back in Sacramento, Cheema says the legislation represents more than policy.

“I could be the next victim if the law enforcement in my community is not able to recognize foreign interference,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who is indulging in it or which country, I would naturally like my police officers to be aware of the threats.”

He added: “If any group feels threatened, then all sections of society should make efforts to protect their people. This reassures me that my voice is being heard.”

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