A prominent leader in British Columbia’s Sikh community says the community feels vindicated following explosive new RCMP allegations of foreign interference by Indian government agents in Canada.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said Monday the force had evidence of violent criminal activity in Canada, including homicides and extortion, linked to Indian government agents.
The RCMP also alleged it has evidence that diplomats collected information on Canadians for the Indian government and said there was a significant threat to public safety.
Police took the unusual step a year after the federal government alleged a connection between the Indian government and the murder of British Columbia gurdwara president and Khalistan independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Members of the Sikh community in British Columbia have long alleged they are being targeted by the Indian government and say Monday’s revelations serve as further evidence.
“Individuals like me have also had the multiple duty to warn (warns) against my life, so I can say this both from a personal space and from a community leader space, it is shocking to us that this can be allowed to happen.” Proceed now,” BC Gurdwaras Council spokesperson Moninder Singh told Global News.
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“What we want to see is the Canadian government taking tougher action against India. So while these people are gone, how can we avoid this situation in the future?
Four men linked to organized crime have been charged with Nijjar’s murder. Monday’s update from the RCMP has shed more light on the case, as the investigation links senior Indian diplomats in Canada, including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma, to criminal gangs operating in Canada.
Sikh leaders in British Columbia say they will not be pressured.
“Nijjar’s murder was a through line for our community,” Singh said. “If you try to intimidate our community, if you try to silence us, we will do the opposite.”
British Columbia NDP Leader David Eby said the British Columbia government has been informed about the investigation and that the province is doing everything it can to support police and keep the Sikh community safe.
“British Columbia will continue to ensure our police have all the resources they need to get to the bottom of this and hold those involved accountable,” he said.
“The strength of our province is the fact that people come here from all over the world and they can be safe and build a good life for themselves and their families. Anything that threatens that is a threat to all of us. We will stay united. “We will not allow any foreign government to divide us.”
British Columbia Conservative Leader John Rustad called the allegations “deeply troubling” and called for an investigation into foreign interference targeting the Sikh community and other Canadians.
“The Sikh community in British Columbia, like any other group, deserves to live in safety without fear of intimidation or harassment from foreign governments,” he said in a statement.
Singh said the Sikh community has long been pushing for an investigation focused specifically on allegations of foreign interference by the Indian government and an end to intelligence sharing with India.
He also wants the government to file criminal charges, if possible.
“While this is a very welcome step, we really want (the government) to seek the diplomatic immunity that Mr. Burma has and that these diplomats have,” he said. “And is there any possibility of processing them within Canada?”
The Indian government denies any suggestion that it was involved in crimes in Canada.
The South Asian country retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats on Monday and recalling its own envoy from Canada.
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