Series contains records related to Ujjal Dosanjh’s lifelong activism and advocacy for human rights, social justice, and Indian community issues. Topics touched upon in personal writings and correspondence address the struggle and exploitation of farm workers in Canada, an absence of immigrant services, death penalty opposition, anti-violence petitions, English as a second language challenges, racism, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Advocacy for Indian and Indo-Canadian issues relate to the Foreign Exchange Regulations Act of 1973, the Komagata Maru incident, the Bombing of Air India Flight 182, and the Khalistan movement. Records relating to Dosanjh’s involvement in Komagata Maru Foundation of Canada encompasses press releases, meeting minutes, incorporation documents, correspondence and other materials. His participation in the Government of Canada’s inquiry into the investigation of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 is referenced by transcripts, personal notes, and correspondence. Early 1980s correspondence with Indira Ghandi is noteworthy and convers foreign exchange regulations for Indians living abroad, religious violence, and state policy regarding regional instability.

A significant portion of the series relates to the Sikh Khalistan movement. Worthy of attention are writings and correspondence addressing the 1984 attack on the Sikhs holy site, the Golden Temple, and the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Ghandi. Dosanjh’s call for calm; rejection of extremism, communal violence, fundamentalism, and religious fanaticism; are described in many public press statements, hand written notes, published articles, and correspondence. Positive support regarding his moderate position are particularly evident in the numerous sympathy cards and messages he received in the aftermath of his 1985 assault and following his 2007 testimony at the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 inquiry. Conversely, confrontation opinions of Mr. Dosanjh from within the Sikh community are found in records of threats, and defamation lawsuits. An anonymous letter received by Dosanhj’s wife stating, “We know how to shut him up, you tell him,” is included in the series. Two defamation lawsuits, one against Dosanjh and one brought forth by Dosanjh, are available. In the first, the World Sikh Organizations brought suit against Mr. Dosanjh and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) regarding comments made on the television program The National, which linked the WSO to violent Sikh separatists responsible for the bombing of Air India Flight 182 and the assignation of Indira Ghandi. Press statements, court proceeding records, statement of claim and litigation documents, police reports, contemporary news reports, and correspondence document the matter. In the second defamation case, Dosanjh brought suit against South Asian newspaper The Link and its editor for making false statements about his character. Correspondence and a copy of the published apology have been filed.

Records related to the Advocacy and Indian/South Asian Issues series in the form of correspondence and contemporary media articles may be found in the General Correspondence series and the Media and Publicity series.