‘No consequences’: Canadian Sikhs allege widespread threats, spying by India
globalnews.caforeign interference inquiry on Thursday describe widespread threats and harassment of Canadian Sikhs by the government of India, much of it coordinated by diplomatic missions.Witnesses told the Hogue Commission behind closed doors India had threatened their families, spied on temples and meddled in Canada’s elections, according to the newly unsealed documents.India “interferes in Canada because there is no reason not to,” one witness told the commission, adding that “the Canadian government has been largely impotent in the face of interference.”“There have been no consequences.”The documents summarize hundreds of written submissions received from Canadians during public consultations and meetings with more than 100 members of diaspora communities.They included Chinese, Iranian and Ukrainian participants, but the statements of Sikh Canadians are particularly noteworthy, providing a community-level view of the alleged tactics of the Indian government.Indian foreign interference has seen “an acceleration” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, with high-ranking officials vowing that “dissidents in other countries would be eliminated,” one witness said.Canada has labeled India the second most serious foreign interference threat to the country, behind only China.
India’s campaign focuses largely on the Khalistan movement, which advocates for independence for the Sikh-majority Punjab region.In the documents, a witness said that after he attended a protest outside India’s high commission in Ottawa, police in India visited his family and threatened his mother and brother, who was forced to flee to Dubai.Other witnesses described attempts to sway elections, and alleged India “exerts influence in the Canadian
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