gistofnews.com | July 11, 2025 | Surrey, B.C.
An eerie silence descended on Surrey on Thursday after an attack on a restaurant owned by popular Indian comedian and actor Kapil Sharma. The shooting happened at 1:50 a.m. at kap’s Cafe in the Newton neighborhood, near 84 Avenue and 120 Street. Thankfully, no one was reported injured in the incident, although restaurant staff were inside during the attack.
And while police have revealed that more than one bullet hit the building, initial information suggests the shooting was no accident. Videos posted on social media and reported to be surveillance camera footage show a short, eight-second video — which appears to have been shot from a vehicle — with ten shots fired from a handgun. The footage has not been confirmed by police, but speculation is mounting about the motive and source of the shooting as little is known about the gunman.
An emerging trend of targeted violence?
News of the shooting spread quickly across India, and several media outlets here reported that a hardline leader of a Sikh separatist movement had claimed responsibility. The US-based advocacy group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) dismissed the allegations as part of a “propaganda campaign” against the Khalistan referendum movement, but credited them partly for drawing global attention to the upcoming referendum.
SFJ lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannu reacted strongly to the incident:
“This is India’s hybrid warfare,” he added, “using fabricated stories along with violence to discredit Sikh activism. The Khalistan referendum is peaceful and democratic and attempts to criminalise it are dangerous and misguided.”
The incident comes just months after the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) accused India’s intelligence agencies of attempting to subvert Canada and target Khalistan supporters. And the incident comes after the second anniversary of the killing of prominent Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar — an incident that strained relations between Canada’s Indian and Sikh communities after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said people from the Indian government were working here to carry out these killings.
Echoes of the past
Thursday’s attack has echoes of an incident last September when shots were fired late at night at the Vancouver Island home of non-Canadian singer AP Dhillon. That case included a video from the perspective of the shooting, and police later arrested one suspect, while another fled the country.
Surrey authorities say it’s too early to draw a clear link between that shooting and the other incidents at Kap’s Cafe.
“The investigation is ongoing. The motive for the killing is still under investigation and there is no suspect information to release at this time,” a police spokesperson said.
While the police are investigating, the shooting has once again raised fears about political violence, foreign interference and the safety of high-profile non-Canadians involved in the case. Kapil Sharma, who is yet to respond, opened the cafe recently as part of his business in Canada.
