When a journalist sought clarification, asking if the alleged "transnational repression, foreign interference and organised crime" specifically targeted the Sikh Canadian community, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin fumbled and stated:
"So, yes, I mean, it (India) is targeting the South Asian community".
However, he also said: "but what we’ve seen is they are specifically targeting pro-Khalistan elements in Canada.” It was a telling slip.
For years, India has accused Canada of providing a platform to Khalistani separatists and not doing enough to stem their anti-India activities. New Delhi has also raised concerns over the maple country being a safe haven for people with links to organised crime.
The journalist pressed on, asking if Sikhs not associated with the Khalistan movement were also being targeted.
Gauvin, clearly aware of the quagmire, backpedalled, refusing to provide specific details to "preserve the integrity" of the ongoing investigation. Still, the assistant commissioner insisted that organised crime groups, particularly the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, were at the centre of this so-called intrigue, working with agents allegedly connected to the Indian government.
"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," she said, though evidence to substantiate these bold claims was notably absent.
The new twist in Canada’s diplomatic feud with India is the latest in a series of bitter exchanges between the two countries. Tensions reached a boiling point this week with the mutual expulsion of ambassadors and five other top diplomats from both countries following Ottawa’s fresh allegations against New Delhi.
London-based 'The Guardian' view in 2023:
India has angrily rejected Mr Trudeau’s claim as “absurd” and expelled a Canadian diplomat in retaliation for the expulsion of a diplomat Ottawa described as the head of the Indian intelligence agency in Canada. Assassinations on foreign soil are relatively rare; carrying one out in a supposedly friendly country, and a G7 member, would be truly astonishing and risky.
For some, the pursuit of better relations with India has been a matter of wishful thinking. Just as some in the west once convinced themselves that China’s economic liberalisation would lead to political reform, ignoring all signs to the contrary, so some have suggested that India is an ideal partner as a democracy – glossing over Narendra Modi’s increasing nationalism and authoritarianism. Others have been more pragmatic, counting on shared interests, such as limiting China’s increasing might, and hoping to limit New Delhi’s longstanding relationship with Moscow; it has remained neutral on the invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Trudeau has said that he raised this case “personally and directly” with Mr Modi, and “in no uncertain terms”.
That helps to explain their frosty encounters at the G20, when, Mr Modi’s office said, the Indian prime minister rebuked his counterpart for tolerating extremism within Canada’s large Sikh community – a longstanding complaint.
But Mr Trudeau’s remarks also suggest that raising this bluntly and publicly was not his first choice. Relating the killing to “agents of the government of India” may reflect a tangled, indirect chain of responsibility, but also stopped short of suggesting that an order came from the top. He has continued to urge cooperation.
New Delhi’s unwillingness to respond in like manner is bad news for its reputation beyond Canada’s borders, and suggests that, regardless of who killed Nijjar, India is on a trajectory that makes partnership with western democracies much more difficult" - the edit said on Sept 29, 2023.
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