Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme takes part in a press conference about India-linked criminal activity occurring in Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario, October 14, 2024.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Ottawa: The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has urged the Sikh community here to speak out as they continue to investigate allegations linking the Indian government to a campaign of violence on Canadian soil.
In an interview with Radio-Canada on Tuesday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme urged people with knowledge relevant to the investigation they are doing to come forward, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
Meanwhile, the federal standing committee on public safety and national security has called unanimously for an emergency meeting on the investigation of the Indian government's alleged covert operations in Canada, MP Alistair MacGregor was quoted as saying by the CBC.
In an email on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the committee said that the meeting is expected to take place Friday morning.
Members of the standing committee wrote in a letter dated Tuesday that the RCMP revelations are "very alarming." They asked for time to discuss "steps that could be taken by the government to protect Canadians and our country."
The development came after New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh said that he wanted a parliamentary committee to look into how to protect Canadians against threats from India.
On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Duheme publicly alleged that "agents" of the government of India had played a role in "widespread" acts of violence in Canada, including homicides.
Duheme alleged that Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada have been linked to murders and acts of "extortion, intimidation and coercion" against Canadians and people living in Canada.
He told reporters that the national force felt it had to come forward to disrupt the networks working in Canada, which he said pose a "significant threat to public safety in our country."
"If people come forward, we can help them and I ask them to come forward if they can," he said in the interview with the Radio-Canada.
"People come to Canada to feel safe, and our job as law enforcement is to make sure that they're in an environment that is safe to live."
Asked if members of the Indian diaspora should be concerned for their safety, Duheme said he hopes they "have trust and confidence in the police jurisdiction."
The RCMP urged the Sikh community to speak out as they continue to investigate allegations linking the Indian government to a campaign of violence on Canadian soil, the report added.
On Tuesday, the RCMP alleged that the Bishnoi gang is connected to the “agents” of the Indian government, which is targeting the South Asian community specifically "pro-Khalistani elements" in the country.
On this, India strongly rejected attempts by Canadian authorities to link Indian agents with criminal gangs in Canada with official sources in New Delhi even saying that Ottawa's assertion that it shared evidence with New Delhi in the Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar case was simply not true.
The sources in New Delhi also rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that India was engaging in activities including carrying out covert operations targeting Canadian nationals in his country.
On Monday, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced withdrawing its high commissioner from Canada after dismissing Ottawa's allegations linking the envoy to a probe into the killing of Nijjar.