Dasvand
Ottawa (February 25, 2026): The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) categorically rejects the claim by a senior federal government official that India is no longer linked to violent crimes and transnational repression in Canada.
The statement, made anonymously during a briefing ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to India, does not reflect the reality being experienced by members of the Sikh community across Canada.
Just this past Sunday, a prominent Sikh activist received a renewed “duty to warn” from Vancouver Police of a credible threat to his life. For the first time, that warning explicitly extended to his wife and children. This marks the fourth such warning issued to him since 2022.
The WSO is aware of incidents in the past six months of individuals being surveilled, harassed and intimidated by agents of the Government of India. Over a dozen Sikh community members continue to live under the shadow of credible threats or “duties to warn.” These are not historical concerns, they are ongoing dangers.
In October 2024, the RCMP stated that the Government of India was linked to violent crimes in Canada, including homicides and threats against Sikh activists and links to the Bishnoi Gang, a terrorist entity. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats over ties to these criminal activities.
The Carney government has failed to hold India accountable or to create any meaningful safeguards to ensure that Sikh Canadians are protected from foreign interference and transnational repression. Declaring the problem resolved does not make it so.
WSO President Danish Singh stated:
“I can say with complete conviction that the claim made by this senior government official is utterly false. It does not align with what Sikh Canadians are experiencing on the ground and what we are seeing firsthand.
Only months ago, the RCMP publicly linked agents of the Indian government to homicides, violent crimes, extortions, and coordinated criminal activity in Canada. Canada’s National Security Adviser testified that intelligence collected in Canada was shared with Indian authorities who then directed serious criminal acts through the Bishnoi Gang. The Bishnoi Gang took responsibility for a shooting in Calgary just this week.
Nothing has been presented publicly to suggest that Indian criminal networks have been dismantled, that accountability has been secured, or that safeguards have been implemented to protect Canadian citizens. We can’t deny what we are seeing with our own eyes.
For this government, Canadian sovereignty, the rule of law, and even human lives appear to be secondary to economic interests. Trade cannot come at the cost of Canadian blood. Lies by this ‘government official’ are a new low.”
WSO is a non-profit national organization with a mandate to promote and protect the interests of Canadian Sikhs as well as to promote and advocate for the protection of human rights of all individuals.