The move by Canada’s federal police comes on the heels of the announcement last week on the detention of Goldy Brar, the man implicated in the murder of musician turned politician Sidhu Moosewala
Indian security agencies have told the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to act swiftly against gangsters operating against India and Indians in Canada. A HT report said that a representative of Canada’s federal police force, posted at the Canadian High Commission met with senior intelligence officials in Delhi on December 6 to discuss cooperation in investigating crimes in India planned by criminals operating from Canada.
The move by Canada’s federal police comes on the heels of the announcement last week on the detention of Goldy Brar, the man implicated in the murder of musician turned politician Sidhu Moosewala. While Punjab Chief minister Bhagwant Mann said Brar was detained in California, there was no such assertion from either Canada, where Brar is based or the US. “We have seen reports on that but do not have anything further to share,’’ said a spokesperson of the American embassy in Delhi, according to the HT report.
“It is high time that the Canadian authorities deal with this strictly and do not allow Canadian soil to be so easily used for anti-India activities,’’ according to a senior official in an Indian agency.
It isn’t clear whether Brar was never detained, or if he was detained and then allowed to go. The Canadian embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a query from HT on Brar.
India expects Canada to deport people like Brar who are in Canada on student visas, but are involved in organized crime back home.
Canada, said the HT report, is urging India to follow a well-laid out legal route and provide evidence before any such steps are initiated. In a note prepared by the National Investigating Agency (NIA), which is probing Moosewala’s murder, the agency said that men like Brar are “indulging in widespread radicalisation, recruitment, extortion, smuggling of arms — explosives — narcotics and violence in India.’’ The agency has been pushing for action not just against Brar, but Lakhbir Landa, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Raman Judge and Arsh Dhalla, all Punjabi gangsters, based in Canada.
“It is high time that the Canadian authorities deal with this strictly and do not allow Canadian soil to be so easily used for anti-India activities,’’ according to a senior official in an Indian agency, on condition of anonymity. India has used every platform to urge Canada to act, according to the senior official. In its presentations to the Canadians, HT learns that Indian agencies have pointed out that while these men have focussed most of their activity in India, there are related incidents happening in Canada too, including the July killing of Ripudaman Singh, who was involved in the Kanishka bombing but had distanced himself from the Khalistani movement.
*********************************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com
