Documents released by the foreign interference inquiry on Thursday describe widespread threats and harassment of Canadian Sikhs by the Indian government, largely coordinated by diplomatic missions.
Witnesses told the Hogue Commission behind closed doors that India had threatened their families, spied on temples and meddled in Canada's elections, according to 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 powerless 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 the Sikh Canadians are particularly noteworthy as they provide a community-level view of the Indian government's alleged tactics.
Indian foreign interference has seen “an acceleration” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, with top officials promising that “dissidents in other countries would be eliminated,” one witness said.
Canada has rated India as the second most serious foreign interference threat to the country, behind only China. India's campaign focuses heavily on the Khalistan movement, which advocates independence for the Sikh-majority Punjab region.
In the documents, a witness said that after attending a protest outside the Indian high commission in Ottawa, Indian police visited his family and threatened his mother and brother, who were forced to flee to Dubai.
Other witnesses described attempts to influence the election and alleged that India “exercises influence in the nomination process of Canadian political parties” and applies pressure to “red light” candidates who are critical of the Republic of India, or ROI. .
“Some attendees discussed the consequences faced by political candidates who speak publicly against the human rights record of the Republic of India or defend the Sikh community,” the commission wrote.
A candidate running for municipal council in an unnamed Canadian city alleged that he was attacked during the campaign by “online agents and robots” of the Indian government.
“Certain attendees described their experiences as targets of coordinated misinformation and disinformation campaigns conducted on social media platforms and online news environments, along with related online harassment,” the commission said.
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Elections at Sikh temples were another alleged target of Indian consulates, according to the filings, which also claimed that consulate officials routinely denied visa services to Sikh advocates attempting to travel to India.
It is “common for members of the Canadian Sikh community to discuss whether elected officials in Canada are agents of the ROI or manipulated by the ROI,” another participant said.
“One person suggested that background checks on potential candidates for political party nominations should be strengthened and that candidates should be specifically vetted to determine their affiliation with the government of the Republic of India,” the commission wrote.
Indian diplomatic missions should be banned from carrying out influence operations at temples “such as recruiting sources to gather information on community members,” another witness said.
“Influence activities originating or coordinated by Indian diplomatic missions throughout Canada should be limited,” according to the commission's summary of testimony.
Another witness accused India of operating “police stations in Canada by appointing high-ranking law enforcement officials disguised as diplomats.” …these police stations put pressure on Indian Canadians and threaten the families of Canadian activists in the Republic of India.”
Witnesses called for more transparency from Canadian intelligence agencies and decision-makers, and better ways to report incidents of foreign Indian interference and transnational repression.
A permanent task force is needed to investigate and counter foreign interference and “coordinate between relevant agencies” while reporting its findings to the public, another witness suggested.
Those who are warned by police that their lives are in danger “should also be offered some form of protection.” One community member said that “without this protection, people may remain silent for fear of being killed on Canadian soil.”
On June 18, 2003, Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, in a murder that Canada has attributed to the Indian government.
While New Delhi denies involvement, the United States has charged an Indian intelligence official for allegedly plotting to kill one of Nijjar's closest associates, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The RCMP alleged in October that Indian officials were behind not only Nijjar's murder but also a wave of violence across Canada that included shootings, arson and extortion.
The attacks were allegedly approved by Modi's right-hand man Amit Shah and orchestrated by Indian intelligence officials in cooperation with organized crime groups such as the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Canada expelled six diplomats for their role in the plot last fall. They had been stationed at Indian missions in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
India denies involvement.
The allegations arise in the wake of a Global News investigation that revealed how Indian officials manipulate their travel visa system to exploit Canadians of Indian origin.
The Indian government responded to the December 10 Global News expose by claiming that the Canadian press was engaged in “disinformation” and “foreign interference” against India.
But investigation documents also highlight the scheme, with one witness alleging that when he applied for a visa he was told to sign a pre-written letter in what he called “a form of harassment in what they believe was an interference operation.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
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