Canadian Sikh influencer uses trans Tumbler Ridge massacre to promote new magazine with bizarre viral dancing video

Gurdeep Pandher, a Canadian “positivity author,” is facing backlash after posting a video of himself dancing in the snow and promoting his magazine following a deadly school shooting.

After a shooting at a high school in Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday that left several people dead and dozens injured, Pandher shared a video on social media of himself performing bhangra, a Punjabi folk dance, saying it was meant to “carry hope across borders.”

“A wave of sorrow ripples through Canada, both in news and on dinner tables. Hearts are heavy, emotions raw and shared openly. Yet in our darkest hours, joy emerges as both balm and mental medicine—a light that heals what words cannot. In that spirit, I offer this video: a small burst of brightness to carry hope across borders and mend what breaks within us,” he wrote.

He also used the moment to promote his own publication, saying, “This winter, I brought to life something that has lived in my imagination for years—the first annual print edition of The Gurdeep Magazine. It features writing from other contributors alongside my own work. If you feel called to hold this warmth of printed words in your hands, visit Gurdeep.ca/magazine.

The post was later deleted from X after drawing criticism and reposted with a different caption, though the original version remains on Instagram.

X user Arpan wrote on X, "Gurdeep Pandher is an embarrassment to our community. Maybe don’t make a post about a tragedy and then have a video dancing like an idiot. Be less tone deaf instead of trying to get your clicks and going viral. Absolute clown."

The backlash came amid heightened emotions following the shooting, which was carried out by transgender-identifying 18-year-old Jesse van Rootselaar. Rootselaar fatally shot his mother and 11-year-old stepbrother before going to the high school and opening fire, killing five children and a teacher. He later killed himself at the school

Pandher’s decision to promote his magazine in the wake of the tragedy drew criticism from social media users who viewed the post as insensitive given the timing.