What was meant to be a night of music and pride for thousands of Indian-Australians quickly turned tense on Friday evening, when members of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a terrorist group designated by India, arrived at Melbourne’s AAMI Park, shouting slogans and threatening to “shut down” Diljit Dosanjh’s Aura Tour concert.
Videos from the scene show SFJ supporters using loudspeakers to abuse concertgoers, calling Sikh fans attending the show “traitors”.
Mr M Singh (name withheld on request), a member of Melbourne’s Sikh community who attended the concert, told The Australia Today that the actions were “a pathetic display” that insulted the wider community.
He said.
“Nothing can be as shameful as what these Khalistan supporters did.
They not only showed their disregard for other people’s freedom but also brought a bad reputation to the Sikh community in Australia.”
Local bhangra artist “Diljit Kaur” (name changed on request) said the threats disrupted months of preparation for cultural performances that were meant to celebrate the singer’s global success.
“Shows like these create awareness and opportunities for us and other local artists to learn a thing or two.”
“We had planned a flash-mob dance outside the stadium, but we had to cancel it because of the threats issued via loudspeakers by Khalistani goons right across the road.”
Another attendee, Vineet Madan, criticised the Victoria Police response.
“Police should not have allowed them to stand so close to the crossing and harass us.
Public safety was disregarded — we expect better from the government,” he said.
“When they spoke and abused in Punjabi, officers didn’t understand what was being said. My girlfriend and I were extremely uncomfortable hearing that nonsense while waiting to cross the road.”
From threats to intimidation
SFJ had earlier declared it would stage a “panthic shutdown” of Dosanjh’s 1 November concert — which coincides allegedly with the Sikh Genocide Remembrance Month — accusing the Punjabi superstar of “betraying Sikh victims” after he paid respect to Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.
Friday’s attempted disruption in Melbourne marks a dangerous escalation in the group’s campaign, turning what began as an online threat into physical intimidation at a public event.
Victorian Sikh Community leaders have warned that such behaviour undermines Australia’s multicultural harmony and damages the global image of the Sikh faith — a community known for its compassion, service and resilience.
While SFJ continues to claim its actions are acts of remembrance, many Sikhs in Australia view them as attempts to hijack community identity for extremist politics.
As Mr Singh put it,
“Real Sikhs don’t silence others. Our Gurus taught us courage and respect — not hatred shouted through loudspeakers.”
Authorities are now expected to review crowd-management measures ahead of Dosanjh’s upcoming shows to ensure public safety and to reaffirm that Australia’s cultural spaces will not be held hostage by intimidation.
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