Canadian committee weighs probe on new Indian violence allegations
The RCMP said on Monday that it has significant amount of information on criminal activity allegedly orchestrated by agents of the Indian government.
A parliamentary committee is set to meet on Friday to consider a request to investigate new allegations of Indian foreign interference in Canada, which recently led to the expulsion of diplomats by both countries in a series of retaliatory moves.
The standing committee on public safety and national security agreed to hold the emergency meeting following revelations from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) about Indian government agents' involvement in criminal activities.
The RCMP stated on Monday that it possesses substantial information linking Indian agents to various offenses, including violent extremism, homicides, and interference in democratic processes. Their findings suggest organized crime networks are being used to target Canada’s South Asian community.
NDP MP Alistair MacGregor proposed the motion for the investigation, which would include at least six meetings. “For the RCMP, or any police force, to come forward with such explosive revelations highlights the gravity of the situation,” MacGregor said on Friday.
The motion suggests inviting key officials such as Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme, and National Security and Intelligence Advisor Nathalie Drouin. The committee also plans to seek input from experts within Canada’s South Asian community, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, former Conservative Party leadership candidates from 2022, and national security specialists.
Relations between Canada and India have been strained since 2023, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canadian intelligence had credible evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia.
India has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing, accusing Trudeau of advancing a “political agenda.”
Global News has reported that agents from India’s high commission in Ottawa, as well as consulates in Vancouver and Toronto, were connected to multiple violent crimes across Canada. These crimes allegedly targeted supporters of the Khalistan movement—which advocates for an independent Sikh-majority state in Punjab—and opponents of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
