The BC Sikh community is responding to new allegations of foreign Indian interference
A prominent leader in British Columbia’s Sikh community says the community feels reassured following the explosion of new RCMP allegations of foreign interference by Indian government agents in Canada.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said Monday that the military has evidence of violent criminal activity in Canada, including murder and extortion, linked to agents of the Indian government.
The RCMP also alleged they had evidence of agents collecting information on Canadians from the Indian government, and said there was a serious threat to public safety.
Police took the unusual step a year after the federal government alleged a link between the Indian government and the killing of BC gurdwara president and Khalistan freedom activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Members of BC’s Sikh community have long suspected they were targeted by the Indian government, and say Monday’s revelations serve as further evidence.
“People like me have had a lot of work to warn (notices) about my life and, so I can say this regarding the person and the position of the public leader, that it is shocking that this can be allowed. proceed now,” BC Gurdwaras Council spokesperson Moninder Singh told Global News.
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“Tough measures by the Canadian government against India is what we want to see. So even though these people are gone, how do we avoid this situation in the future?”
Four men with links to organized crime have been charged with Nijjar’s murder. Monday’s update from the RCMP shed more light on the case, with the investigation linking senior Indian politicians in Canada, including Chief Commissioner Sanjay Verma, to organized crime groups operating in Canada.
Sikh leaders in BC say they will not be repressed.
“The killing of Nijjar was the line of our society,” Singh said. “If you try to intimidate our community, if you try to silence us, we will do the opposite.”
BC NDP Leader David Eby said the BC government has been informed of the investigation, and the province is doing everything it can to support the police and keep the Sikh community safe.
“British Columbia will continue to ensure that our police have all the resources they need to get to the bottom of this and hold those responsible accountable,” he said.
“The strength of our province is that people come here from all over the world, to be safe, to build a good life for themselves and their families. Anything that threatens is a threat to all of us. We will stick together. We will not allow any foreign government to divide us.”
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad called the allegations “deeply troubling,” and called for an investigation into foreign interference against the Sikh community and other Canadians.
“The Sikh community in British Columbia, like all other groups, deserves to live in safety without fear of intimidation or harassment by foreign governments,” he said in a statement.
Singh said the Sikh community has long been pushing for an investigation into alleged foreign interference by the Indian government and an end to intelligence sharing with India.
He also wants to see the government prosecute criminal cases, if possible.
“Although this is a very welcome step, we really want to see (the government) pursue the political security that Mr. Burma has, these political officials have,” he said. “And is there any possibility of prosecuting them within Canada?”
The Indian government denies the suggestion that it has been involved in crime in Canada.
The South Asian country retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats on Monday and withdrawing its ambassador to Canada.
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