More arrests come to light in Indian Sikh leader murder plot
1. “By not uncovering or by not disclosing, they are letting the Indian agents operate with impunity in Canada," says Pannun
In a significant development, Indian and Canadian intelligence officers have conducted multiple meetings to exchange information as new arrests come to light, possibly indicating a previously unknown plot to assassinate an Indian Sikh leader on North American soil, Bloomberg reported.
According to the publication, five men were arrested on firearms charges on November 3, 2023, near Brampton, Ontario, just a day before the son of a prominent member of the Sikh independence movement was scheduled to be married in the Toronto-area city.
Prominent figures, including New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, were expected to attend the event. Among those arrested was Amandeep Singh, who was later charged in connection with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh leader killed in British Columbia in June 2023.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Narendra Modi-led government in New Delhi of orchestrating the assassination.
Intelligence chiefs from India and Canada have recently met to share evidence, according to sources familiar with the matter who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue. The new information has led to more departures from India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), signaling a cleanup of India’s security regime. This follows the earlier exit of an officer described by India as a rogue agent involved in a foiled plot to murder Pannun in New York.
The US is separately urging India to prosecute the officials responsible and to reform its security setup.
It's important to note that the five men have not been charged with conspiring to kill anyone at the wedding, and the gun charges have not been proven in court. Police and prosecutors in Ontario declined to comment as the legal process is still ongoing.
However, the timing of the arrests—stemming from two traffic stops that uncovered illegal guns and ammunition inside the men’s vehicles—and the fact that Pannun was expected to attend the event raise the possibility that he was a target, according to the report.
Pannun ultimately declined the wedding invitation at the last minute. In an interview, he expressed frustration with Canadian authorities’ silence on the matter.
“By not uncovering or disclosing, they are letting the Indian agents operate with impunity in Canada. They feel there are no consequences for the crimes they are committing,” he said.
