The documents he published foreign interference Thursday’s inquiry described widespread threats and harassment of Canadian Sikhs by the government Indialargely coordinated by diplomatic missions.
Witnesses told the Hogue commission behind closed doors that India threatened their families, spied on temples and interfered in Canadian elections, according to newly disclosed documents.
India “interfered in Canada because there is no reason not to,” one witness told the commission, adding that “the Canadian government was largely powerless to interfere.”
“There were no consequences.”
The documents summarize hundreds of written submissions received from Canadians during public consultations and meetings with more than 100 members of the diaspora.
They included Chinese, Iranian and Ukrainian participants, but the statements from Sikh Canadians are particularly noteworthy, providing a community-level view of the Indian government’s alleged tactics.
India’s foreign interference has seen an “acceleration” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, with senior officials vowing that “dissidents in other countries will be eliminated,” one witness said.
Canada has labeled India as the country’s second most serious threat of foreign interference, behind only China. India’s campaign has largely focused on the Khalistan movement, which advocates independence for the Sikh-majority Punjab region.
In the documents, the witness said that after he attended a protest outside the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, police in India visited his family and threatened his mother and brother, who were forced to flee to Dubai.
Other witnesses described attempts to influence the election and alleged that India was “influencing the nomination process of a Canadian political party” and putting pressure on “red light” candidates critical of the Republic of India, or ROI.
“Certain participants discussed the consequences facing political candidates who publicly speak out against ROI’s human rights record or advocate on behalf of the Sikh community,” the commission wrote.
India is weaponizing travel visas to silence critics, the Sikh community says
A candidate running for a municipal council in an unnamed Canadian city was allegedly targeted by “online bots and agents” of the Indian government during the campaign.
“Certain participants described their experiences as targets of coordinated disinformation and disinformation campaigns conducted on social media platforms and through online news environments, along with related online harassment,” the commission said.
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The Sikh temple election was another alleged target of Indian consulates, according to the filings, which also alleged that consulate officials routinely deny visa services to Sikh advocates trying to travel to India.
According to one participant, “Individuals have their visas cancelled, then invited to the Indian consulate to discuss the terms of their visas, including forms of cooperation with Indian officials.”
He “cited an example in which an Indian consular officer provided visa assistance to individuals who agreed to assist a particular political candidate,” the committee wrote.
Sikh Canadians are concerned that elected officials may be acting as agents of India or being manipulated by New Delhi, another participant said.
“One person suggested that background checks on potential candidates for political party nominations should be strengthened and that candidates should be specifically screened for connections to the Government of the Republic of India,” the committee wrote.
Indian diplomatic missions should be barred from conducting influence operations in temples “such as recruiting sources to gather intelligence on community members,” another witness said.
“Influence activities emanating from or coordinated by Indian diplomatic missions across Canada should have been curtailed,” according to a summary of the commission’s testimony.
Another witness accused India of running “police stations in Canada by appointing high-ranking law enforcement officials in the guise of diplomats. … these police stations are putting pressure on Indian Canadians and threatening family members of Canadian activists in the ROI.”
Witnesses called for greater transparency from Canadian intelligence agencies and decision-makers, and better ways of reporting on cases of Indian foreign interference and transnational repression.
A permanent task force is needed to investigate and counter foreign interference and “coordinate between relevant agencies” while reporting its findings to the public, another witness said.
Those who have been warned by the police that their lives are in danger “must also be offered some kind of protection”. One community member said that “without these protections, people might stay silent for fear of being killed on Canadian soil.”
Evidence links violent crimes in Canada to the Indian government
On June 18, 2023, Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Surrey, BC, in a killing that Canada blamed on the Indian government.
While New Delhi denies involvement, the US has accused an Indian intelligence official of allegedly plotting the assassination of one of Nijjar’s close associates, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In October, the RCMP alleged that Indian officials were not only behind Nijjar’s murder, but also behind a wave of violence across Canada that included shootings, arson and extortion.
The attacks were allegedly authorized by Modi’s right-hand man, Amit Shah, and orchestrated by Indian intelligence officials in collaboration with organized crime groups like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Canada expelled six diplomats for their role in the scheme last fall. They were assigned to Indian missions in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
India denies involvement.
The charges come after a Global News investigation which revealed how Indian officials were manipulating their travel visa system to exploit Canadians of Indian origin.
The Indian government responded to an exposé by Global News on December 10, claiming that the Canadian press was involved in “disinformation” and “foreign interference” against India.
But investigative documents also highlight the scheme, with one witness claiming that when he applied for a visa he was told to sign a pre-written letter, which he called a “form of harassment” and a “distraction operation”.
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
