Our Bureau
Ottawa
In an escalating tension and a diplomatic war between India and Canada erupting this week, The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, RCMP claimed on Monday that “agents of the Government of India” used criminals, mentioning the name of the Bishnoi gang in particular, to “target (the) South Asian community… specifically pro-Khalistani elements” in Canada.
This potentially explosive claim by RCMP, Commissioner Mike Duhene and his deputy, Brigitte Gauvin is adding fuel to the already tensed diplomatic relations between India and Canada over the killing of Canadian citizen and Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar allegedly claimed to be carried out by “agents” of Government of India.
“It (the Indian government) is targeting the South Asian community… but they are specifically targeting pro-Khalistani elements in Canada. What we have seen, from an RCMP perspective, is that they use organized crime elements,” said Gauvin at the Press conference.
She added, “It has been publicly attributed and claimed by one crime group in particular – the Bishnoi gang. We believe the group is connected to agents of the Government of India.”
Meanwhile, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duhame’s earlier statement, wherein he claimed that Canada had evidence that Indian government agents have engaged in and continue to engage in activities that pose a threat to public safety, including clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behavior targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder and termed the actions “unacceptable.”
In response, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday that Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023. However, the Canadian government has not shared a single piece of evidence with the Indian government despite many requests.
India summoned Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler on Monday and conveyed that “the baseless targeting” of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable.
Ministry of External Affairs said in a release that it was underlined to Canada’s Charge d’Affaires that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau Government’s actions endangered their safety and the government had decided to withdraw India’s High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other targeted diplomats and officials.
The government conveyed that India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the “Trudeau Government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India”.
India on Monday expelled six Canadian diplomats hours after it summoned Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler.
“The Government of India has decided to expel the following six Canadian Diplomats: Mr. Stewart Ross Wheeler, Acting High Commissioner; Mr. Patrick Hebert, Deputy High Commissioner; Marie Catherine Joly, First Secretary; lan Ross David Trites, First Secretary; Adam James Chuipka, First Secretary; Paula Orjuela, First Secretary,” a Ministry of External Affairs release said.
“They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024,” the release added.
Earlier, in a hard-hitting statement, India said Prime Minister Trudeau’s hostility to India has long been in evidence and his government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists “to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada”.
India has denied all the allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated” and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country. Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year.
