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

Recent reports from various US and Canadian media outlets highlighted a Nov 3, 2023, police raid in Brampton, Ontario, which resulted in the arrest of five men on firearms charges.

The arrests occurred just a day before the son of a prominent member of the Sikh independence movement was to be married in the Toronto-area city. Several well-known activists, including New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, were expe­cted to attend the wedding.

The accused include Swaranpreet Singh, 21; Jobanpreet Singh, 21; Maninder Singh, 22; and Ramanpreet Singh, 30. The fifth individual, Amandeep Singh, is also charged in connection with a killing that Canada has directly linked to the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Canadian Broad­casting Corporation (CBC).

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.

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Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday that Indian and Canadian intelligence officials have met multiple times since the arrest to exchange information, as more arrests have come to light, potentially pointing to Indian involvement in yet another assassination plot.

New information about the plot has reportedly led to the departure of additional staff from India’s external spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). These departures follow the earlier exit of an officer described by India as a rogue agent involved in a foiled scheme to murder 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 wedding, and the gun charges have not yet been proven in court. The report did note, however, that the timing of the arrests and the expected presence of Pannun at the wedding “raise the possibility that he was a target”.

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.

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

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The Indian government, which has designated both Nijjar and Pannun as terrorists, 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 reportedly held at least two meetings in a third country to share information, while Canada’s national security adviser has engaged in a series of discussions with India’s high commissioner in Ottawa, according to the report.

The Canadian government declined to comment in detail due to the ongoing court case involving Nijjar’s murder.

“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,” Jean-Sébastien Com­eau, spokesman for Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, said in a statement.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to an email seeking comment. Last week, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry accused Canada of adopting “different yardsticks” for enfo­rcing the law after police arrested two men over online threats against PM Justin Trudeau.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2024