More than a dozen Canadian Sikhs face active assassination threats, organization warns
CBC
More than a dozen Canadian Sikhs live under active threats on their lives, an advocacy organization is warning.
"Those threats originate from India," said Balpreet Singh, a lawyer and spokesperson for the World Sikh Organization.
The group argues it's unconscionable for the federal government to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to next week's G7 meeting.
Singh called for a series of actions to be taken against India at a news conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday alongside Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the Sikh Federation (Canada).
The father of two said he'd been warned by law enforcement about threats on his life about a half-dozen times in the last few years.
Moninder Singh described leaving his home for months at a time, making arrangements with child protection services as well as the RCMP.
"You move around, constantly looking over your shoulder. You want to make sure that you're not in overly public environments, where other people could be harmed," said Moninder Singh.
"You can't go to your kid's school, you can't go to their practices, you can't go to family events. You avoid weddings, you avoid any type of family gatherings."
The two men said the Canadian government should not only rescind Modi's invitation, but also launch a public inquiry specifically targeting Indian foreign interference and transnational repression in Canada, as well as cancel intelligence-sharing agreements between the two countries.
Earlier on Thursday, Global News cited confidential sources in reporting that former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh was targeted by a suspected Indian government agent in 2023, resulting in the leader getting police protection. The report says police no longer believe Singh is in imminent danger.
CBC News has not independently confirmed that story.
At the news conference, Moninder Singh said ending intelligence-sharing with India could make it harder for the country to surveil the NDP leader and Sikh activists.
Balpreet Singh said he's heard the former NDP leader no longer has police protection, something he thinks is a mistake.
CBC News sent questions to the federal Public Safety Department as well as the RCMP for details on Sikhs who have been targeted, including Jagmeet Singh.
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