New Delhi:
Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police claimed Monday that “agents of the Government of India” use criminals – referring specifically to the Bishnoi gang – to “target (the) South Asian community… specifically pro-Khalistani elements” in that country.
The charge – by RCMP Commissioner Mike Duhene and his deputy, Brigitte Gauvin – follows a sharp escalation in a row that has been festering since Ottawa last year accused “agents” of Delhi of involvement in the killing of Canadian citizen and Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Nijjar.
“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 organised crime elements,” Assistant Commissioner Gauvin told reporters.
“It has been publicly attributed and claimed by one organised crime group in particular – the Bishnoi gang. We believe the group is connected to agents of the Government of India.”
When asked specifically if “agents of Indian government” were being accused of “homicide, extortion, intimidation, and coercion”, Mr Duheme replied with a categorical “yes”.
The Indian government has strongly rejected what it calls “preposterous imputations”, including those by Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing New Delhi of “supporting criminal activity against Canadians” and “coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians”.
A statement from the External Affairs Ministry also rejected claims by Ottawa that Sanjay Kumar Verma, posted as the Indian High Commissioner, and five of his staff, are ‘persons of interest’.
They have been linked to claims some Indian diplomatic staff work with organised crime elements in Canada to “collect – through questionable and illegal means – information on Canadian citizens… (that is fed to criminal organisations) that would then take violent actions from extortion to murder”.
Hours after the RCMP officers’ press conference Mr Trudeau spoke to reporters and doubled down on charges against the Indian government.
READ | Trudeau Doubles Down On Charges After India-Canada Diplomatic Row
“I think it is obvious the Government of India made a fundamental error in thinking 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,” he said.
The allegations coincide with sliding support and tanking popularity ratings; last week he survived a second parliamentary confidence vote in as many weeks ahead of the 2025 election.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canada counterpart Justin Trudeau (File).
India and Canada have exchanged a second round of tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats, although Delhi later said it was withdrawing its six officials over security concerns.
Delhi has ejected Canada’s acting High Commissioner, Stewart Wheeler, and his deputy.
On the expulsion of its diplomats, Delhi said, “Sanjay Verma is India’s senior-most serving diplomat”, and slammed a “strategy of smearing India for political gains”.
The Bishnoi gang – led by Lawrence Bishnoi from his prison cell in Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail – has rapidly become of the country’s most feared criminal organisations.
It even has a base in Canada, where gangster Goldy Brar is based.
With its vast network the Bishnoi gang has, so far, murdered with impunity; the most recent killing was ex-Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique.
Within India the gang is known to be involved in murder and arms trafficking, and extortion of money from high-profile targets like Punjabi singers, the liquor mafia, other prominent businessmen. Its activities are enforced by an army of around 700 hitmen, reports have said.
The Canadian government has now claimed links between Indian government “agents” and the Bishnoi gang with relation to the killing of Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a gurdwara in June.
