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Diplomats, RAW Officials, Bishnoi Gang and Amit Shah – Canada Identifies Nexus Targeting Sikh Activists

October 15, 2024 | By Sikh Siyasat Bureau

Chandigarh: Canada and India have entered in another phase of escalated diplomatic tensions on Monday (October 14) as more details of Canada’s communication to India regarding India’s campaign of targeting Sikh activists in Canada have surfaced. 

According to reports in Western media, the killing of a Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year was part of a broader campaign of violence against Indian dissidents directed by a senior official in the Indian government and an operative in the country’s spy agency.

A report in The Washington Post quotes Canadian officials saying: “Canadian authorities have also identified at least six Indian diplomats serving in Canada who were directly involved in gathering detailed intelligence on Sikh separatists who were then killed, attacked or threatened by India’s criminal proxies”.

Six Indian Diplomats Identified and Expelled by Canada:

Canadian authorities have reportedly identified six Indian diplomats serving in Canada who were directly involved in gathering detailed intelligence on Sikh activists who were then killed, attacked or threatened by India’s criminal proxies.

Canada ordered all six of those diplomats to leave the country in notices that were sent early Monday. 

India Rejects Canada’s Claims; Says Diplomats are Withdrawn: 

On the other hand, India on Monday initially said it “received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country”. A statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs said “[t]he Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics.” Later in a yet another statement the MEA said, “the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials”.

We Have Provided Evidence of It’s Involvement to India, Now India Must Act: Canadian Charge d’Affaires

Canadian Chargé d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler on Monday addressed media persons outside India’s MEA after meeting Indian Officials said: “Canada has done what India has been asking for. Canada has provided credible irrefutable evidence of ties between agents of the government of India and a murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil now. It is time for India to live up to what it said it would do and look into those allegations. It is in the interest of both our countries and the people of our countries to get to the bottom of this. Canada stands ready to cooperate with India”. 

Later India announced to expel him along with five other Canadian diplomats.

India Expels Six Canadian Diplomats: 

In its third statement related to Canada, issued late on Monday (October 14) India’s Ministry of External Affairs said: “[t]he Government of India has decided to expel the following 6 Canadian Diplomats”.

Canada says It has Extensive Evidence:

According to The Washington Post “[t]he previously undisclosed details about India’s alleged involvement in the 2023 death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and other attacks stem from an ongoing investigation that Canadian authorities said has uncovered extensive evidence linking a larger outbreak of violence in Canada to the administration of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.

“We know they are involved in the Nijjar killing, in other murders and in ongoing violence — actual violence — in Canada,” The Washington Post quotes an undisclosed senior Canadian official.

India’s Alleged Nexus – Diplomats, RAW Officials, Lawrance Bishnoi Gang:

As per reports: Canadian officials described an operational “chain” in which Indian diplomats in Canada collect intelligence on alleged Sikh separatists that is then used by RAW to identify targets for attacks carried out by a criminal syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi, whose organization, the officials said, has an extensive presence in Canada.

Indian Diplomats Coerce Indian to Spy on Sikh Activist in Canada: 

“Officials said Indian diplomats have used violence as well as threatened to deny needed immigration documents to coerce Indians living in Canada to serve as informants against Sikh activists. Canadian officials said this scheme involves Indian officials at the country’s consulates in Vancouver and Toronto as well as its High Commission — the embassy equivalent — in Ottawa. Canadian officials said the collection operation was overseen by Verma, India’s high commissioner in Ottawa”, The Washington Post report reads.

It further reads: “The coercion goes far beyond threatening to deny visas, to include physical threats to them and their families in India,” said a senior Canadian official, who added that “the information is being sent to India at almost the highest level.”

Amit Shah’s Name Surfaces:

According to a report by The Washington Post, Canadian officials identified Amit Shah, India’s Home Affairs Minister and a key member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inner circle, as being involved in these operations. Despite requests for comment, officials from India’s Ministry for External Affairs and the Home Ministry did not respond to inquiries regarding Shah’s alleged role.

Singapore Meeting by Canadian Officials with India’s NSA Ajit Doval:

The situation escalated following a secret meeting in Singapore where Canadian officials presented evidence of India’s involvement in violent acts against Sikh dissidents to India’s National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval. Canadian participants included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security adviser, Nathalie Drouin, and Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison, along with a senior official from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The meeting was aimed at persuading India to cease its escalating campaign of violence in Canada and to warn of potential public exposure of India’s involvement as Canadian prosecutors advance with a trial concerning Nijjar’s murder.

What Ajit Doval Admitted and Denied:

During his meeting with Canadian officials India’s NSA Ajit Doval reportedly “made clear that India ‘would deny any link to the Nijjar murder and any link to any other violence in Canada no matter what the evidence was,’” as quoted by The Washington Post. 

While he acknowledged that India used its diplomats to monitor individuals by “taking pictures, et cetera,” he denied any connections to threats or acts of violence.

Ajit Doval’s Reaction to Naming of Bishnoi Gang:

The Washington Post report notes that when Canadian officials raised concerns about India’s alleged enlistment of criminal networks, including the Bishnoi gang, to carry out the Nijjar killing, Doval initially feigned ignorance about the gang’s operations. However, he later revealed his awareness, stating that Bishnoi “was capable of orchestrating violence from wherever he is incarcerated” and was “known to be up to no good from his jail cell,” indicating a troubling acknowledgment of the gang’s reach and influence.

♦ ALSO READ – India says Canada Pointed Its’ High Commissioner to Canada as “Person of Interest” in an Ongoing Investigation

♦ External Links –

• Canada alleges much wider campaign by Modi government against Sikhs (The Washington Post)
• India’s response to diplomatic communication from Canada (MEA, India)
• Canadian Charge d’Affaires summoned by MEA (MIA, India)
• India expels Canadian diplomats (MEA, India)
• RCMP statement on violent criminal activity occurring in Canada with connections to agents of the Government of India (RCMP, Canada)

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Related Topics: Ajit Doval, Amit Shah, Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canada-India Diplomatic Tensions, India's Transnational Repression, Sikh Diaspora, Sikh News Canada, Sikhs in Canada

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