Amid the developments in India-Canada Row, representatives of a Gurdwara in British Columbia have said that their communities won’t feel safe until Indian consulates in Vancouver and Toronto are closed, CBC News reported. Reportedly, their leader was shot dead last year.
Gurdwara representatives’ recent demands come after Canada expelled six Indian diplomats including the high commissioner. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) also claimed that it had evidence of their alleged involvement in crimes, including homicide and extortion, targeting the so-called Khalistan independence movement.
Earlier, the Canadian government had stated about credible intelligence of the Indian government’s link to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the leader of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in British Columbia’s Surrey, where community members addressed a news conference. The Indian government had rejected Canada’s allegations, and called it ‘absurd’ and ‘politically motivated.’
What Did Gurdwara Representatives Say?
According to the CBC News report, Gurkeerat Singh, spokesperson for the gurdwara, said, “The safety and the security of Sikhs will still be in question unless Indian consulates are closed.”
Sikhs for Justice member, Jatinder Singh Grewal said Canada previously expelled an Indian diplomat in September last year, and since then, the RCMP has indicated the threat to Sikhs in Canada has increased.
Canadian government announced its decision to expel six diplomats on Monday, including the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma. Canadian Government has called these diplomats as “persons of interest” in the investigation of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder.
The RCMP said that there were six Indian diplomats they sought to question about the violent activities in Canada, and those six diplomats were expelled by Canada.
Following Canada’s expulsion of diplomats, India also expelled six Canadian diplomats and summoned Canada’s Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler and conveyed that the “baseless targeting” of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada was completely unacceptable. Canadian diplomats were asked to leave India by or before 11:59 pm on Saturday, October 19, 2024.
Grewal stressed the people who allegedly pulled the trigger were “merely tools,” and the real issue was who gathered information on Sikhs in Canada and allegedly provided that information to criminals to threaten and harm Sikh community members. Grewal added shutting down Indian consulates in Toronto and Vancouver would remove the shield the individuals get while serving at diplomatic positions. He further said, “We can’t allow this to continue because it endangers Canadian safety and Canadian sovereignty.”
He claimed that the RCMP has mentioned that Indian diplomats in Canada are actively monitoring, looking at the behaviour and activities of pro-Khalistani Sikhs, and then providing the information to individuals back in India, according to CBC News report.
On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme said that the probe has revealed that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada have allegedly leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, including gathering information for the Indian government, either directly or through proxies. The RCMP told The Canadian Press it was carrying out an investigation into three homicides across the country over the past two years with possible connection to India. However, the Mounties did not mention whether those included Nijjar’s killing, CBC News reported.
How Had MEA Reacted?
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023. However, the Canadian government has not shared any evidence so far.
The Ministry of External Affairs in its press release accused the Trudeau-led government of providing space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada, which included death threats to them and Indian leaders. The MEA asserted that all these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech.
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