The top of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has referred to as on members of Canada’s Sikh neighborhood to come back ahead with info as they proceed to analyze allegations linking the Indian authorities to violent actions on Canadian soil, together with homicides, extortion, and intimidation.
“If individuals come ahead, we may help them and I ask them to come back ahead if they will,” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme stated within the interview with the Radio-Canada.
“Folks come to Canada to really feel secure, and our job as regulation enforcement is to be sure that they’re in an atmosphere that’s secure to reside.”
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His feedback come towards the backdrop of a rising diplomatic rift between Canada and India, sparked by Ottawa’s unsubstantiated allegations that Indian authorities brokers have been concerned within the June 2022 homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan ingredient and designated terrorist in India.
India has vehemently denied these accusations, calling them “unsubstantiated” and a results of “vote-bank politics” in Canada, significantly with subsequent yr’s elections looming.
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Throughout a press convention earlier within the week, Duheme alleged that Indian diplomats and consular officers had hyperlinks to legal gangs in Canada, together with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which he stated had been concerned in a collection of violent acts, together with homicides and extortion. The RCMP has charged eight people with murder and 22 others with extortion in reference to these investigations, though no direct proof linking the Indian authorities to Nijjar’s homicide has been publicly disclosed.
Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin stated that 13 Canadians have been warned since September 2023 that they might be targets of harassment or threats by people linked to Indian brokers.
India pushes again towards Canada’s claims
India, nonetheless, has strongly rejected the claims, dismissing them as politically motivated. Sources in New Delhi denied that any proof had been shared by Canadian authorities concerning Indian involvement within the Nijjar case.
They additional criticised Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s dealing with of the difficulty, accusing him of in search of to appease pro-Khalistan teams and exploiting the diplomatic row for home political acquire.
India’s response has included the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, together with Canada’s Excessive Commissioner to India, and a discount of its diplomatic presence in Canada. These diplomats are anticipated to depart India by the weekend, whereas India additionally introduced the withdrawal of its personal Excessive Commissioner from Ottawa.
Amid the diplomatic furore, the RCMP has not offered concrete proof publicly to substantiate its allegations towards Indian officers. Nevertheless, the police pressure has insisted that it continues to collect info and that the investigation is ongoing.