A cross-section of Canadian MPs are calling out an Indian government crackdown in the state of Punjab, and those criticizing internet restrictions are receiving threatening responses online.

For at least three days, authorities in Punjab have restricted communications and the size of gatherings as authorities search for Sikh separatist leader Amritpal Singh. The manhunt comes a month after he led a violent storming of a police station, according to international media reports.

B次元官网网址淎s Canadian members of Parliament, weB次元官网网址檙e trying to ensure that there is some safety for Canadians who are visiting there,B次元官网网址� Conservative deputy leader Tim Uppal said in an interview Monday.

B次元官网网址淲e raised this as a concern. And the response was quite harsh B次元官网网址� a number of threats in there as well, and by people who have a very large following.B次元官网网址�

The Edmonton MP was among a handful of parliamentarians, across party lines, who have voiced their concerns online this week B次元官网网址� even as millions of people in Punjab were reportedly denied access to the internet.

His colleague, Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan, who is the partyB次元官网网址檚 high-profile finance critic, said he was B次元官网网址渃losely following the situation.B次元官网网址�

The office of Foreign Affairs Minister M茅lanie Joly has not yet responded to a media request, and other Liberal ministers have not commented. But at least two Liberal MPs from Toronto-area ridings with large Sikh populations have publicly expressed worry.

B次元官网网址淚 am receiving calls from my residents and am deeply concerned,B次元官网网址� Sonia Sidhu said on Twitter earlier this week. B次元官网网址淚 hope the situation is resolved soon (and) Canadians travelling to the region are able to connect with their families and friends in Canada.B次元官网网址�

Greater Toronto Area MP Iqwinder Gaheer also said constituents had reached out with concern. B次元官网网址淐ivil rights and liberties should be maintained in a democracy,B次元官网网址� Gaheer tweeted, in a message shared by another Liberal MP, Gary Anandasangaree.

For his part, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get on the phone with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi B次元官网网址渢o express concern regarding the suspension of civil liberties and the safety of Canadians abroad,B次元官网网址� he wrote on Twitter.

India denied Singh a visitor visa a decade ago, in what many saw as a response to his advocacy for Sikhs. He wrote on Twitter that the communications restrictions echo a dark past in India.

B次元官网网址淭hese draconian measures are unsettling for many given their historical use to execute extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances during the 1984 Sikh Genocide,B次元官网网址� Singh wrote.

He was referring to riots that Canada has not officially recognized as a genocide, in which roughly 3,000 Sikhs were killed following the assassination of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

The World Sikh Organization noted that many of the MPs who are raising concerns have faced abuse online from accounts that identify themselves as supporters of Modi.

One such account called on people to B次元官网网址渢each (Gaheer) a lessonB次元官网网址� while another suggested people B次元官网网址渄rag the likes of (Jagmeet Singh) to India and teach them a bit about Indian laws.B次元官网网址�

The Indian high commission in Ottawa has not yet responded to a request for comment.

For decades, India has called out Canadian governments of various stripes in response to activities of Sikh separatists who want an independent country called Khalistan.

Ottawa has insisted that the idea isnB次元官网网址檛 part of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 foreign policy and that free speech allows Canadians to advocate for various causes.

Meanwhile, the NDP has been pushing the Liberals to denounce IndiaB次元官网网址檚 treatment of minorities, a year after Human Rights Watch called out ModiB次元官网网址檚 government for a B次元官网网址渟erious regression in human rights and constitutional protections.B次元官网网址�

The Trudeau government announced its intention to form deeper ties with India last November as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, and ministers are likely to visit India through this year as it hosts the G20 presidency.

B次元官网网址擠ylan Robertson, The Canadian Press