RCMP says agents of Government of India involved in criminal activity a ‘significant threat’ to public safety

The RCMP held a press conference in Ottawa Monday, prompted by what they called an “extraordinary situation” that compelled them to speak about the findings of multiple ongoing investigations into criminal activity in Canada involving “agents of the Government of India.”

It was held shortly after news broke that India had been notified by Canada that Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was a “person of interest” in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year in British Columbia.

In a news release, Global Affairs Canada said six Indian diplomats and consular officials were sent a notice of expulsion “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India.”

In response, India moved to expel six Canadian diplomats and has asked them to leave by Oct. 19. The country’s foreign ministry had said earlier Monday that they are withdrawing their diplomats as they have “no faith in the current Canadian government’s commitment to ensure their security.”

Speaking at the press conference, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin said the announcement was not about the Nijjar case specifically, but rather to inform the public and draw attention to the “breadth of criminal activity that is occurring in Canada, which is a grave concern to our public safety.”

“There’s a distinct investigation on the Nijjar case and there’s another distinct investigation on the national security side to see the connections with the Government of India,” added Duheme.

The commissioner read a statement that said the RCMP and other Canadian law enforcement agencies have investigated and charged a “significant number of individuals” for their involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal violence.

When asked for a specific number, Gauvin said approximately eight people were arrested and charged in relation to homicides and 22 people in relation to extortions, with some of them having connections to the Government of India.

“What we’ve seen from an RCMP perspective is the use of organized crime elements … and it’s been publicly attributed and claimed by one organized crime group in particular, which is the Bishnoi group and we believe that that group is connected to agents of the Government of India,” she said.

In addition, Duheme said there have been “credible and imminent threats” made to the life of at least 13 members of the South Asian community across Canada, specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement — which wants independence for the Sikh-majority Punjab region — prompting the RCMP to warn them of the danger.

In February, a national taskforce was created to combat the criminal activity and Duheme says the team has learned a significant amount of information about “criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada.”

He highlighted four serious issues the taskforce had zeroed in on:

• Violent extremism impacting both Canada and India
• Links tying agents of the Government of India (GOI) to homicides and violent acts
• The use of organized crime to create a perception of an unsafe environment targeting the South Asian Community in Canada
• Interference into democratic processes

Duheme added that investigations have also revealed several Indian diplomats and other consular officials in Canada “leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India.”

“Evidence also shows that a wide variety of entities in Canada and abroad have been used by agents of the Government of India to collect information. Some of these individuals and businesses were coerced and threatened into working for the Government of India. The information collected for the Government of India is then used to target members of the South Asian community,” he said in the statement.

Duheme revealed that Deputy Commissioner of Federal Policing, Mark Flynn, attempted to discuss the violent extremism occurring in Canada and India with his Indian law enforcement counterparts and present them with evidence of the involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activities in Canada, but he was unsuccessful.

Flynn then met with Indian officials in Singapore along with the National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA), Nathalie Drouin, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison over the weekend to inform them of the findings.

Duheme said that meeting was not entirely fruitful, and thus they made the decision to inform the public of their findings and ask for “assistance in reporting incidents of foreign interference by the Government of India.”

“The meeting that took place October 12 … we did not meet the objectives that we wanted to make sure that we could collaborate and work together and ensure a safer Canada for our citizens. And we felt it was important based on our investigations and the lack of collaboration, to come out and make sure that we inform the Canadian public of what we’re seeing and asking their assistance if they see anything or feel anything,” he said.

The public is being asked to help in reporting incidents of foreign interference by the Government of India. Anyone who feels threatened online or in person is encouraged to report the incident to their local police.

“Indian diplomats and consular officials are here to protect the interests of their nationals that are based in Canada and their country’s national interests as well, and not to be part of criminal activity or intimidation or coercion of these individuals. So we take that very seriously. That is without a doubt, a contravention of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but also it goes against Canada’s values as a society,” said Gauvin.

When asked why the Indian diplomats were not charged based on the findings of the investigations, Gauvin said there are limits in the Canadian judicial system with regards to the actions law enforcement cant take against those diplomats and consular officials.

“The objective here is Canada’s public safety, and therefore, sometimes prosecutions and charges are not the best option. Our objective is to disrupt the networks and to stop the violence in our country,” added Duheme.

When concluding the statement, Duheme attempted reassurance and called for calm.

“We recognize the concern and fear people might be feeling when seeing this news and we recognize that South Asians are victims of the activities we’re investigating. We want to assure all Canadians that their safety and security is at the forefront of everything we do and we urge the public and South Asian communities to remain calm and give law enforcement and Canadian officials time to continue discussions.”