Tensions between Canada and India continue to rise after a shocking report from the RCMP accused agents of the Indian government of “serious criminal activity” in the country.
The allegations were released in a statement from the law enforcement agency on Monday.
“Over the past few years and more recently, law enforcement agencies in Canada, including the RCMP, have successfully investigated and charged a significant number of individuals for their direct involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal acts of violence,” it reads.
“In addition, there has been well over a dozen credible and imminent threats to life which have led to the conduct of Duty to Warn by law enforcement with members of the South Asian community, and specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement.”
In February, the RCMP says it began investigating and coordinating efforts to combat the threat, which has continued despite law enforcement action.
Hours after the report was released, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doubled down on the allegations, saying the Government of India made a “fundamental error in thinking they could engage in supporting criminal activity” on Canadian soil.
”I think it is obvious that the government of India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians here on Canadian soil,” PM Trudeau says of India’s alleged ties to criminal activity in Canada.
#cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/FXYGEUdB40— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) October 14, 2024
Reactions from Canadians online have been divisive, with many spouting anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric, as displayed in the comments of the CPAC post above.
One Member of Parliament is reminding people that criticism of India “does not justify any form of hatred or suspicion towards Canadians of Indian descent.”
“Let me be absolutely clear: we cannot conflate the Government of India and its actions with the South Asian diaspora in Canada, many of whom have themselves been targeted and victim to those actions,” reads a statement from Iqra Khalid, MP of Mississauga-Erin Mills.
The Indian government must be held accountable for their criminal activities against Canadians on Canadian soil.
I fully support the RCMP’s investigation and our government’s actions to defend Canadians, including protecting them from hatred.
My full statement: pic.twitter.com/FD5bCkwytr
— Iqra Khalid 🇨🇦 (@iamIqraKhalid) October 14, 2024
Khalid also shared her support for the RCMP’s investigation into the Indian government, calling for it to be “held accountable for these malicious actions against Canada.”
The tensions also cause prospective Indian travellers to be concerned about their visa statuses. In response to the allegations, the Indian government withdrew its key diplomats from Canada, including High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, “to ensure their security.”
“We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country,” reads a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
“The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics.”
One Indian travel site speculates that visa applicants, specifically those seeking study or work permits, may face delays or increased scrutiny amid the conflict.
Daily Hive has reached out to the IRCC for comment.
This comes over a year after Trudeau revealed that “agents of the Government of India” were linked to the shooting death of Sikh Canadian leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in June 2023.
Last month, gunshots were reportedly fired into Canadian rapper and producer AP Dhillon’s home in British Columbia. The Sikh Press Association is alleging that the Government of India was also involved in this incident.