RCMP Monitoring Threats Against Indian Diplomats ‘Very Closely’

People inspect damage to the entrance to the Consulate General of India as protesters stand outside barricades in San Francisco, on March 20, 2023. Jeff Chiu/AP Photo

The federal police force says it is closely tracking the situation pertaining to a planned rally on July 8 to protest the killing of a Sikh community leader in British Columbia.

“The RCMP is monitoring this matter very closely,” says spokesperson Robin Percival in an email statement.

“We are constantly adapting our protective posture to the current threat environment in order to ensure an adequate level of protection is in place as needed.”

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., was shot on June 18 by unidentified assailants.

Some supporters of Mr. Nijjar, who was wanted on terrorism charges in India, suspect the Indian government of being behind the targeted killing.

Mr. Nijjar had denied the terrorism accusations, and the Indian High Commission has not returned a request for comment on the matter.

Police investigators have yet to make arrests and have not ascribed a motive to the murder.

A poster for the July 8 event circulating online says “Kill India,” and has the pictures and names of two senior Indian diplomats in Canada, described as the “faces” of Mr. Nijjar’s “killers.”

While advising it is closely monitoring the situation, the RCMP said it would not disclose information it has about the threat and risk associated with the planned event or about what specific measures it is taking to protect diplomatic personnel and premises, which is part of its mandate.

The poster for the July protest march calls for a “Khalistan Freedom Rally” in Toronto, with the procession starting at a business centre and ending at the “Indian embassy.”

The RCMP says it’s working closely with the Toronto Police Service and other forces to “fulfil our mandate in relation to the protection of designated persons and to provide support to police of jurisdiction as needed.”

Previous Protests

Previous protests involving Sikhs in San Francisco and London, England, resulted in vandalism against Indian diplomatic missions in March, reported CBS News. Sikh separatists oppose the Indian government and seek to establish an independent Khalistan in northwest India.

More recently, a fire was set outside the San Francisco consulate on July 2, with Reuters reporting Sikh separatists were involved.

The U.S. State Department condemned the vandalism, calling it a “criminal offense,” but did not identify any responsible group.

“The U.S. strongly condemns the reported vandalism and attempted arson against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco on Saturday,” spokesperson Matthew Miller posted on Twitter July 3.

In relation to the planned protest in Canada, Indian media have reported that New Delhi lodged a protest with Ottawa over the issue. Global Affairs Canada and the foreign affairs minister’s director of communications have yet to confirm the matter with The Epoch Times despite separate inquiries.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on July 3 that Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials regarding the planned protest.

The Indian government has recently criticized publicly what it says is the Canadian government’s lax approach toward Sikh extremism.

“There is a larger underlying issue about the space which is given to separatists, to extremists, to people who advocate violence,” said Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in early June.

“We are at a loss to understand, other than the requirements of vote-buying politics, why anyone would do this.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the suggestion that his government is not confronting the issue for political purposes while visiting Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, on July 5.

“We’ve always taken serious action against terrorism and we always will,” he said. “We have an extremely diverse country, and freedom of expression is something that we have, but we will always make sure that we are pushing back against violence and extremism in all its forms.”

The Canadian Press and Reuters contributed to this report.