More arrests come to light in Indian Sikh leader murder plot

In a major development, Indian and Canadian intelligence officers held multiple meetings to share information as more arrests come to light that may point to a previously unknown plot to kill an Indian Sikh leader on North American soil, Bloomberg reported.

As per the publication, five men were arrested on firearms charges on November 3, 2023, near Brampton, Ontario, a day before the son of a prominent member of the Sikh independence movement was to be married in the Toronto-area city.

Prominent personalities, including New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, were set to attend the event.

Those arrested included Amandeep Singh, who was later charged in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh leader killed in British Columbia in June 2023.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Narendra Modi-led government in New Delhi of directing the assassination.

Intelligence chiefs from India and Canada have recently met to share evidence, said people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified to discuss sensitive matters. The new information has prompted more staff to depart India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the people said.

The departures point to a cleanup of India’s security regime and follow the earlier exit of an officer that India described as a rogue agent involved in a foiled scheme in New York to murder Pannun.

The US is separately urging India to prosecute officials responsible and to reform its security setup.

It is pertinent to mention here 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 unfolding.

Still, the timing of the arrests — involving two traffic stops that police say 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, read 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 by not 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.