Canadian authorities have uncovered a previously unknown plot to assassinate a Sikh activist on North American soil, according to reports from US media.

According to a Bloomberg News report, Indian and Canadian intelligence officials have met multiple times since the arrest of the five men in Brampton, Ontario to exchange information. This comes as more arrests related to the plot have come to light, potentially pointing to involvement by India’s external spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

The Bloomberg report has stated that the new information about the plot has led to the departure of additional staff from RAW, following the earlier exit of an officer described by India as a “rogue agent” involved in a foiled scheme to murder Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.

However, the Bloomberg report clarified that the five men arrested in Brampton have not been charged with conspiring to kill anyone at the upcoming wedding. The gun charges against them have also not yet been proven in court. Nonetheless, the report noted that the timing of the arrests and the expected presence of Pannun at the wedding “raise the possibility that he was a target” of the alleged plot.

Pannun ultimately declined the wedding invitation at the last minute. In an interview with Bloomberg, he expressed frustration with Canadian authorities’ silence on the matter.

“By not uncovering or by not disclosing, they are letting the Indian agents operate with impunity in Canada. They feel there are no consequences for the crimes they are committing,” Pannun said.

The alleged intermediary in the plot to kill Pannun in New York, Nikhil Gupta was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US to face charges last month.

The Indian government, which has designated both Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as terrorists, has denied any involvement in the assassination plots. Both men have long maintained that they advocate for an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan through peaceful means.

Indian and Canadian intelligence chiefs have held at least two meetings in a third country to share information about the assassination plots. Additionally, Canada’s national security adviser has engaged in a series of discussions with India’s high commissioner in Ottawa regarding these matters.

The Canadian government declined to provide detailed comments on the ongoing court case involving the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In a statement, Jean-Sébastien Comeau, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, said that “Canada is a rule of law country, and the protection of our citizens is fundamental. Canada has consistently called on India to work with Canadian authorities on this investigation.”

Read more

India blames ‘rogue’ official for murder of Sikh separatist: report

Canadian police arrest fourth man for murder of Sikh leader Nijjar

India confiscates properties of top Sikh separatist in Punjab

India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to a request for comment. However, last week, a spokesperson for the Indian foreign ministry accused Canada of using “different yardsticks” for enforcing the law, after Canadian police arrested two men over online threats made against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

On November 3, 2023, Canadian police conducted a raid in Brampton, Ontario and arrested five men on firearms charges. This raid occurred just a day before the son of a prominent member of the Sikh independence movement was set to be married in the Toronto area. Several well-known Sikh activists, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from New York, were expected to attend the wedding.

The five individuals arrested are Swaranpreet Singh (21), Jobanpreet Singh (21), Maninder Singh (22), Ramanpreet Singh (30), and Amandeep Singh. Amandeep Singh is also charged in connection with the June 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh-Canadian activist and president of a Sikh gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar was a leading advocate for Sikh independence and was shot dead in the gurdwara parking lot.

Amandeep Singh was arrested four and a half months after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh-Canadian activist and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar, a leading advocate for Sikh independence, was shot dead in the parking lot of the gurdwara on June 18, 2023.