By Asia Samachar | Canada |
Canadian federal party leader Jagmeet Singh has added his voice to the raging controversy surrounding India’s alleged killing of a Sikh activist on the Canadian soil.
In a press briefing on Tuesday (Sept 27), the New Democratic Party (NDP) leader said he received an intelligence briefing about allegations that the Indian government could be behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh gurdwara leader in British Columbia.
“I can confirm what the prime minister has shared publicly: that there is clear intelligence that Canada has that lays out the following case that a Canadian citizen was killed on Canadian soil and a foreign government was involved,” Jagmeet told reporters in Ottawa.
On Sept 18, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dropped a bombshell when he told the House of Commons about “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in the June death of Nijjar in Surrey, B.C.
The allegations have sparked a row between Canada and India, including the expulsion of diplomats as well as counterclaims and accusations.
It has also been reported that several members of the Five Eyes, an intelligence-sharing network that includes the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, raised the June killing with Prime Minister Modi.
Jagmeet, who took over leadership of the NDP in 2017, also spoke about the fear of Sikhs and other Indian minorities with regards to the alleged actions of the Indian authorities.
“For a long time, members of the Sikh community have been targeted by the actions of the Indian government, and for a long time it has often gone unnoticed or unrecognised,” he said.
“For a lot of people hearing the Prime Minister of a G7 nation provide intelligence that provides evidence of a killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil by a foreign government really confirms a lot of the fears that people have felt and have made those fears all the more real and more tangible. It’s hurtful and harmful to a lot of people who feels validated but are more afraid than ever,” he said.
He added that there is “a lot of other diaspora communities from India who are critical of the Indian government or Indian government policies that share the fear that they’ve also been targeted.”
RELATED STORY:
Unveiling the Shadows: India’s Troubling Path Toward Autocracy and Worse (Asia Samachar, 27 Sept 2023)
Justin Trudeau accuses India of a killing on Canadian soil, reports NYT (Asia Samachar, 19 Sept 2023)
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