Sikh leaders welcome Canada’s expulsion of Indian diplomats, saying India’s alleged criminal actions pose a threat to security

Prominent Sikh leaders in Canada say Monday’s RCMP announcement that Indian government agents were involved in criminal activity in that country proves what many in the Sikh community have believed for decades.

Some members of the Sikh community welcomed the news of the expulsion from Canada of six Indian diplomats accused of involvement in violent criminal activities, including homicide, extortion and coercion, and said they agree with the RCMP that The Indian government’s alleged interference activities in this country pose a significant threat to public safety.

Danish Singh, president of the World Sikh Organization, said the RCMP has confirmed what his group has suspected since it began investigating the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.

“The Indian government’s ongoing foreign interference activities in Canada and its history of targeting Sikhs in that country are only now becoming known to the general public, but have been the lived experience of Sikhs for four decades,” Mr. Singh said in a statement.

“India’s criminal activities in Canada must end. India’s attacks on Sikhs must end. We expect Canada’s elected representatives to join together in condemning India’s foreign interference and efforts to obstruct justice.”

Global Affairs Canada announced that six Indian diplomats have received expulsion notices as a result of a targeted campaign by Indian government agents against Canadian citizens. Instead, India formally recalled its officials, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma.

Sikhs for Justice, an organization that advocates for Khalistan’s independence and the creation of a Sikh homeland in India, welcomed the expulsion of Mr. Verma and five other diplomats. It said people had been calling for an investigation into Mr. Verma for months, accusing him of running a spy network in Canada and providing logistical support for Mr. Nijjar’s murder.

Mr. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was active in the Khalistani movement, was shot dead last year outside a gurdwara in Surrey, B.C.

“It is reassuring and the Trudeau government has demonstrated Canada’s unwavering commitment to the rule of law, regardless of the country involved,” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the group’s founder.

According to an indictment released by the U.S. Department of Justice, Mr. Pannun, a prominent Sikh separatist and dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, was the target of a foiled assassination plot masterminded by Indian security services. The assassination plan was foiled in June 2023.

“Canada cannot take a step back and allow a country like India, which claims to be the largest democracy, to use cross-border threats and cross-border terrorism to suppress the freedom of speech and expression of pro-Khalist Canadian Sikhs,” Mr. Pannun said.

Despite the RCMP’s warning of threats against members of the pro-Khalistan movement, Mr. Pannun remains undeterred and vows to continue his campaign for a Khalistan referendum. His group has also pledged $500,000 to private investigators to track down the diplomats upon their return to India.

Khalistan movement activists are pushing for a referendum on a sovereign Sikh state. The Indian government views the movement as a security threat. Officials accuse the Canadian government of tolerating extremist Sikh groups that threaten India’s unity.

Gurmeet Singh Toor, a Sikh activist in Canada, was formally warned by police last year after Mr. Nijjar’s murder that his life was also in danger. He said police came to his door in August 2023 and told him they had information that he was under threat. Mr Toor said he had decided not to hide but to continue his activities, saying he still regularly received threats to silence him, including in recent days.

The RCMP said Monday it had discovered well over a dozen credible and imminent threats to life, prompting officers to issue warnings to members of the pro-Khalistan movement.

“This is a good step,” Mr. Toor said of the RCMP’s announcement. “We are relieved, but we also have to take criminal action.”

He added that he fears Canadian justice officials will lose the opportunity to get answers once the Indian diplomats leave the country.

BC NDP leader David Eby called the RCMP’s allegations “shocking.”

“This is not just foreign interference; These are allegations of direct involvement by the Government of India in murders, extortion and other criminal violence in Canada – and that has no place in our province or our country,” Mr. Eby said in a statement.

In its press conference, the RCMP identified four serious problems: violent extremism targeting both countries; connects Indian government liaisons with homicides and violence; interference in democratic processes; and the use of organized crime to create the impression of an unsafe environment for the South Asian community in Canada.

Police forces in at least six cities from lower mainland British Columbia to Alberta and Ontario have reported dozens of extortion cases against people of Indian origin in the last year. The RCMP said Monday it found evidence that individuals and companies were threatened and coerced into gathering information for the Indian government that was used to target “members of the South Asian community.”

Manjit Parmar, an adviser to the Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council, said Monday’s announcement was another step in an investigation that is being closely watched in the Sikh community but has yet to run its course.

“As Canadians, we have certain rights and certain laws in this country and everyone who is here has to abide by them, whether they are a Canadian citizen, an Indian citizen or an Indian diplomat,” Parmar said.