YOLO COUNTY, Calif. — A Sikh political leader said he survived an assassination attempt in Yolo County.
Satinder Pal Singh Raju said, on Aug. 11, five gunshots were fired at the car he was riding in. ABC10 spoke with Raju using an interpreter he provided.
“When they started shooting at the car, at the first shot, I was nervous,” Raju said.
Raju was a passenger traveling south on Interstate 505 near County Road 27 in Yolo County. He and the driver are both OK.
Raju believes this was an assassination attempt because of his beliefs. He’s the leader of Sikhs for Justice around the Khalistan movement with a goal of creating a home for Sikhs in the Punjab region of India.
“We need the Khalistan Referendum so we can have our own country away from religious persecution,” Raju said.
The California Highway Patrol said the shooting was an isolated incident, but Raju believes he was targeted by leaders in India. It came after one of his fellow activists and friends, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was assassinated in Canada last year.
He said the country has allegedly been behind several plots to kill Sikh leaders.
Raju said he will continue with the movement.
“I’ve never been afraid of dying. If I die, at least it will be for what I believe in,” Raju said, referencing a proverb translated into English.
CHP said there are no suspects at this time.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations released the following statement: “The FBI Sacramento Field Office continues to collaborate with the California Highway Patrol in support of the investigation. Law enforcement takes all acts of violence seriously.”
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