Senior Indian Diplomats Including High Commissioner Verma Kicked Out Of Canada After Shocking RCMP Revelations That They Used Underworld Criminals To Commit Crimes Against Sikhs In Canada!
After shocking revelations Monday by the RCMP that the Indian government agents in Canada have been operating a crime ring using imported criminals from India’s underworld using the disgraceful student visa program to target members of the Sikh-Canadian community and other South Asians, including murders and ongoing extortions of South Asian businessmen, Canada was forced to seek the custody of the said Indian diplomats acting as criminals. But India refused to hand over the alleged criminal diplomats for questioning by Canadian authorities and chose to take them out of Canada and in retaliation asked similarly positioned Canadian diplomats to leave India. RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin told the media the RCMP and other Canadian law enforcement agencies have investigated and charged a “significant number of individuals” for their involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal violence. When asked for a specific number, Gauvin said approximately eight people were arrested and charged in relation to homicides and 22 people in relation to extortions, with some of them having connections to the Government of India. “What we’ve seen from an RCMP perspective is the use of organized crime elements … and it’s been publicly attributed and claimed by one organized crime group in particular, which is the Bishnoi group and we believe that that group is connected to agents of the Government of India,” she said. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Indian government has made a “fundamental error” as he accused it of supporting a campaign of violence against Canadians on Canadian soil. “I think it is obvious that the government of India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians, here on Canadian soil. Whether it be murders or extortion or other violent acts, it is absolutely unacceptable,” Trudeau said. “No country, particularly not a democracy that upholds the rule of law, can accept this fundamental violation of its sovereignty.”
By PD Raj – Senior Reporter DESBUZZCanada
With News Files
OTTAWA – After shocking revelations Monday by the RCMP that the Indian government agents in Canada have been operating a crime ring using imported criminals from India’s underworld using the disgraceful student visa program to target members of the Sikh-Canadian community and other South Asians, including murders and ongoing extortions of South Asian businessmen, Canada was forced to seek the custody of the said Indian diplomats acting as criminals. Canada said Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was a “person of interest” in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in British Columbia.
But India refused to hand over the alleged criminal diplomats for questioning by Canadian authorities and chose to take them out of Canada and in retaliation asked similarly positioned Canadian diplomats to leave India.
At a press conference in Ottawa on Monday, RCMP said they were prompted to address Canadians of what they called an “extraordinary situation” that compelled them to speak about the findings of multiple ongoing investigations into criminal activity in Canada involving “agents of the Government of India.”
It was held shortly after news broke that India had been notified by Canada that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was a “person of interest” in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in British Columbia.
Global Affairs Canada said in a news release that six Indian diplomats, including Verma, and consular officials were sent a notice of expulsion “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India.”
In response, India moved to expel six Canadian diplomats and has asked them to leave by Oct. 19.
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin told the media the announcement was not about the Nijjar case specifically, but rather to inform the public and draw attention to the “breadth of criminal activity that is occurring in Canada, which is a grave concern to our public safety.”
“There’s a distinct investigation on the Nijjar case and there’s another distinct investigation on the national security side to see the connections with the Government of India,” added Duheme.
The commissioner said the RCMP and other Canadian law enforcement agencies have investigated and charged a “significant number of individuals” for their involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal violence.
When asked for a specific number, Gauvin said approximately eight people were arrested and charged in relation to homicides and 22 people in relation to extortions, with some of them having connections to the Government of India.
“What we’ve seen from an RCMP perspective is the use of organized crime elements … and it’s been publicly attributed and claimed by one organized crime group in particular, which is the Bishnoi group and we believe that that group is connected to agents of the Government of India,” she said.
In addition, Duheme said there have been “credible and imminent threats” made to the life of at least 13 members of the South Asian community across Canada, specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement — which wants independence for the Sikh-majority Punjab region — prompting the RCMP to warn them of the danger.
In February, a national taskforce was created to combat the criminal activity and Duheme says the team has learned a significant amount of information about “criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada.”
He highlighted four serious issues the taskforce had zeroed in on:
*Violent extremism impacting both Canada and India
*Links tying agents of the Government of India (GOI) to homicides and violent acts
*The use of organized crime to create a perception of an unsafe environment targeting the South Asian Community in Canada
*Interference into democratic processes
Duheme added that investigations have also revealed several Indian diplomats and other consular officials in Canada “leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India.”
“Evidence also shows that a wide variety of entities in Canada and abroad have been used by agents of the Government of India to collect information. Some of these individuals and businesses were coerced and threatened into working for the Government of India. The information collected for the Government of India is then used to target members of the South Asian community,” he said in the statement.
Duheme revealed that Deputy Commissioner of Federal Policing, Mark Flynn, attempted to discuss the violent extremism occurring in Canada and India with his Indian law enforcement counterparts and present them with evidence of the involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activities in Canada, but he was unsuccessful.
Flynn then met with Indian officials in Singapore along with the National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Nathalie Drouin, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison over the weekend to inform them of the findings.
Duheme said that meeting was not entirely fruitful, and thus they made the decision to inform the public of their findings and ask for “assistance in reporting incidents of foreign interference by the Government of India.”
“The meeting that took place October 12 … we did not meet the objectives that we wanted to make sure that we could collaborate and work together and ensure a safer Canada for our citizens. And we felt it was important based on our investigations and the lack of collaboration, to come out and make sure that we inform the Canadian public of what we’re seeing and asking their assistance if they see anything or feel anything,” he said.
The public is being asked to help in reporting incidents of foreign interference by the Government of India. Anyone who feels threatened online or in person is encouraged to report the incident to their local police.
“Indian diplomats and consular officials are here to protect the interests of their nationals that are based in Canada and their country’s national interests as well, and not to be part of criminal activity or intimidation or coercion of these individuals. So we take that very seriously. That is without a doubt, a contravention of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but also it goes against Canada’s values as a society,” said Gauvin.
When asked why the Indian diplomats were not charged based on the findings of the investigations, Gauvin said there are limits in the Canadian judicial system with regards to the actions law enforcement can take against those diplomats and consular officials.
“The objective here is Canada’s public safety, and therefore, sometimes prosecutions and charges are not the best option. Our objective is to disrupt the networks and to stop the violence in our country,” added Duheme.
When concluding the statement, Duheme attempted reassurance and called for calm.
“We recognize the concern and fear people might be feeling when seeing this news and we recognize that South Asians are victims of the activities we’re investigating. We want to assure all Canadians that their safety and security is at the forefront of everything we do and we urge the public and South Asian communities to remain calm and give law enforcement and Canadian officials time to continue discussions.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Indian government has made a “fundamental error” as he accused it of supporting a campaign of violence against Canadians on Canadian soil.
“I think it is obvious that the government of India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians, here on Canadian soil. Whether it be murders or extortion or other violent acts, it is absolutely unacceptable,” Trudeau said during a Thanksgiving Monday news conference.
“No country, particularly not a democracy that upholds the rule of law, can accept this fundamental violation of its sovereignty.”
Monday’s explosive accusations allege a wider criminal campaign.
“The RCMP chose to come out today and disrupt the pattern of Indian diplomats collecting — through questionable and illegal means — information on Canadian citizens,” Trudeau said. That information was fed to criminal organizations that “would then take violent actions from extortion to murder,” he said.
Trudeau wouldn’t say much more about the alleged roles of the diplomats and consular staff, adding some of the cases are before the courts.
“As those trials unfold, much more will be known,” he said.
Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc says he is ‘convinced by the evidence’ of criminal activity by Indian officials in Canada.
Speaking at the same news conference as Trudeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada had to take steps because “it is sitting diplomats that were involved in violent incidents.”
When asked if Canada is considering further action, Joly said she’s in contact with her G7 counterparts and “everything is on the table.”
A U.S. indictment bolstered Justin Trudeau’s claim that the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada was carried out by the Indian government. We speak to other alleged targets and give exclusive insight into the plot.
Canadian envoy in India Stewart Wheeler on Monday reiterated Trudeau’s accusation, saying in a statement: “Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of ties between agents of the Government of India and the 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.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada said the RCMP’s announcement confirms “the lived experience of Sikhs for the past four decades.”
“India’s criminal activities in Canada must end. India’s targeting of Sikhs must end. We expect Canada’s elected officials to unite in condemning India’s foreign interference and its efforts to obstruct justice,” said president Danish Singh.
B.C. Premier David Eby spoke to the media on Monday after the RCMP announced it has evidence of ‘serious criminal activity’ taking place in Canada with connections to agents of India’s government.
Eby said he was certain the RCMP had ‘serious and credible information’ and urged British Columbians to reach out to authorities if they had any information related to the investigation.
Monday’s swift expulsions are just the latest deterioration in the India-Canada relationship. Following Trudeau’s announcement last fall in the Nijjar case, Canada pulled out more than 40 diplomats from India in October 2023 after New Delhi asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence.
Soon after Canada’s allegation, the U.S. claimed that Indian agents were involved in an attempted assassination plot of another Sikh separatist leader in New York in 2023, and said it had indicted an Indian national who was working at the behest of an unnamed Indian government official.
Unlike its response to Canadian allegations, however, India expressed concern after the U.S. raised the issue, dissociating itself from the plot, and has launched an investigation.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he was briefed on the latest allegations Monday and urged his opposition colleagues to do the same, and to “hold the Modi government accountable and refuse to look the other way.”
“We support today’s decision to expel India’s diplomats and we’re calling on the government of Canada yet again to put diplomat sanctions against India in place, ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Network (RSS) in Canada, and commit to pursuing the most severe consequences for anyone found to have participated in organized criminal activity on Canadian soil,” he said in a statement.
The RSS is a Hindu nationalist organization that has been accused by groups like National Council of Canadian Muslims of being a right-wing paramilitary organization.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, called the news and allegations from the RCMP “extremely concerning and must be taken very seriously.”
“Any foreign interference from any country, including India, is unacceptable and must be stopped. Our government’s first job is to keep our citizens safe from foreign threats,” Poilievre said.
“We expect the full criminal prosecution of anyone and everyone who has threatened, murdered or otherwise harmed Canadian citizens.
Leader of the BC Conservative Party John Rustad said Monday that a full investigation into foreign interference targeting BC’s Sikh community and other Canadians is needed.
“The recent revelations about Indian agents operating in Canada are deeply troubling. No Canadian, including members of BC’s Sikh community, should ever fear for their safety or freedom of expression because of foreign interference on Canadian soil,” said Rustad, who has called for an immediate and thorough investigation into foreign interference following Monday’s announcement from the RCMP that agents from India are engaging in targeted criminal activity in British Columbia and across Canada.
With Files from Canadian Press & CBC News
