India Canada row: Canada claims Indian agents worked with Lawrence Bishnoi gang to target pro-Khalistani groups

Canada has made fresh allegations against the Indian government, accusing New Delhi of direct involvement in “serious criminal activity” on its soil. Though Ottawa did not, again, share any evidence behind its accusations, it alleged that Indian agents present in Canada are working with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to target pro-Khalistan elements.

Incidentally, the allegations come at a time when Lawrence Bishnoi is in the news in India for his alleged involvement in the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai.

In a presser on late Monday night, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) claimed its investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist who was shot dead in Canada last year, and other related cases has revealed links tying agents of the Indian government to “homicides and violent acts” in Canada.

The presser came following Canada’s charge that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ linked to the Nijjar murder investigation.

“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,” the RCMP statement read.

DID CANADA DO A ‘SELF-GOAL’?

During the presser, the RCMP officials were asked if members of the Sikh community, in particular, were being targeted by the Indian agents.

To this, Brigitte Gauvin, Assistant Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the South Asian community is being targeted by these groups but “they are specifically targeting pro-Khalistani elements in Canada”.

“What we have seen is, from an RCMP perspective, they use organised crime elements. It has been publically attributed and claimed by one organised crime group in particular – Bishnoi Group. We believe that the group is connected to agents of the Government of India,” Gauvin said.

For long, New Delhi has accused Ottawa of harbouring Khalistani terrorists, who were responsible for the biggest terrorist attack in Canada — the Air India Flight 182 bombing in which 329 people were killed. The allegations come amid repeated attempts by Khalistanis to blame India for the bombing and clean their image among Canadians.

India has also raised concerns over Canada being a safe heaven for people with links to organised crime. In May this year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar criticised the Canadian immigration policy after the arrest of three Indian nationals allegedly linked to Nijjar killing.

“A number of people with organised crime links from Punjab have been made welcome in Canada. We have been telling Canada thay look, these are wanted criminals from India, you have given them visas. But the Canadian government has not done anything,” Jaishankar said.

In June 2022, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa flagged concerns to Ottawa over the involvement of gangsters operating from Canada in violent crime in Punjab after the killing of singer Sidhu Moose Wala.

Notably, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang had taken responsibility for the killing of Moose Wala.

The Bishnoi gang, which operates across northern India, has a presence in Canada mainly through its associates. Lawrence Bishnoi is lodged in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail.

Canada decided to accuse Indian agents of working in collusion with members of the Bishnoi gang just two days after the murder of Baba Siddique, a former Maharashtra minister. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the murder, though the police are verifying the claim.

Ottawa’s move to name Bishnoi as part of its investigation could be seen as an attempt to give credibility to its allegations, for which it is yet to produce any evidence.

TRUDEAU REPEATS CHARGE, BUT WHERE’s THE EVIDENCE?

After the RCMP presser, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the media, where he claimed that despite repeated requests and attempts to work with the Indian government over this case, New Delhi “decided not to cooperate”.

However, the Indian government has been charging Canada for making baseless accusations without providing any evidence.

After Canada made charges against the Indian High Commissioner on Monday morning, the Ministry of External Affairs released a scathing statement, saying that Canada did not share a “shred of evidence of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing” despite repeated requests and accused Trudeau of doing vote bank politics and not doing enough to tackle separatist elements on Canadian soil.

The ongoing diplomatic row escalated with New Delhi recalling its top envoy to Ottawa and expelling six Canadian diplomats from the country on late Monday evening.