Canada-India tensions weigh on members of Winnipeg’s Sikh community

October 17, 2024 Canuck

Some members of Winnipeg’s Sikh community are concerned about the implications of growing tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments, as police in Canada investigate what they allege is the involvement of agents of the Indian government in violence on Canadian soil.

That includes what sources have told CBC News is a possible link between three men accused in the killing of a Sikh separatist activist in B.C. in June 2023 and a homicide last year in Winnipeg.

The tension worries Inderjeet Singh Brar, a Canadian citizen from India who now lives in northwest Winnipeg, not far from where Sukhdool Singh Gill, 39, was found dead inside a home on the morning of Sept. 20, 2023.

“We were very concerned about that,” Brar said. “It was, like, early morning when this happened, and the kids were going to the school at the time. And I don’t want this thing to happen in this community.”

A person who lives in the area told CBC last year they heard around 11 gunshots on the morning of Sept. 20, before Gill was found dead.

A man with beard wears a hat with a checkmark on the brim and a plaid shirt and vest. — The Winnipeg Police Service released this image of Sukhdool Singh Gill on Sept. 21, 2024, just after the one-year anniversary of his death. No arrests have been made in his killing. (Submitted by Winnipeg Police Service)

Winnipeg police still aren’t saying how Gill was killed, but say his death has been deemed a homicide.

No arrests have been made in his death. Last month, Winnipeg police issued a new plea for tips from the public that may help their investigation.

Sources have told CBC News police are actively investigating possible links between the men accused in the fatal June 2023 shooting of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., and Gill’s killing.

Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar face first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in the Nijjar case. None of the charges have been tested in court.

Winnipeg police said Wednesday they won’t comment on the Gill case because their investigation is ongoing.

Gill, who went by the alias Sukha Duneke, was allegedly part of the Bambiha gang in India, according to police documents in that country. He was accused of extortion and arranging money for gang members to buy weapons, and his name was linked to murders in India.

One day before his killing, Gill’s name and photo appeared on a list of 43 names of suspected terrorists drawn up by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which linked him to the separatist Khalistan Tiger Force. India previously accused Nijjar of being part of the same organization.

Indian diplomats expelled

Tensions flared last year when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in the House of Commons that Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of Nijjar. New Delhi has denied the allegation.

Sources also told CBC in the spring that investigators have been looking into whether three other suspicious deaths — those of Gill and an 11-year-old boy and his father shot in Edmonton last November — are linked to Nijjar’s killing.

Police also have said those killings may have been fuelled by gangland rivalries and vendettas.

A group of Sikh men speak informally to each other for a posed photograph. — Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Three people face first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in his fatal June 2023 shooting. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme publicly alleged that agents of the government of India have played a role in “widespread” acts of violence in Canada, including homicides.

Canada expelled six Indian diplomats. India has denied the RCMP’s allegations and quickly retaliated by ordering six Canadian diplomats to leave the country.

Both countries have hinted at further punitive actions as the diplomatic relationship declines.

That has Winnipeg’s Brar worried about potential impacts on travel, since India requires all nationals who become citizens of foreign countries to surrender their Indian citizenship. That means they have to obtain an overseas citizen of India visa to travel to the country.

Many Canadian citizens from India return there during the winter to visit family, go to gatherings and take part in Diwali. Brar says that’s led to concerns people like him could be more heavily scrutinized if they travel to India.

“In the airports, maybe we have to get more investigated, so that’s why people have the trauma,” Brar said.

‘Things are getting dark’: Sikh Winnipegger

He’s not the only one worried.

Vikram Singh still has Indian citizenship, but his wife and young son are Canadians, which he fears could disrupt upcoming travel plans.

A man wearing a turban and a red shirt is pictured during an interview outside a home. — Vikram Singh, who lives in Winnipeg, says he’s worried that ‘things are getting dark right now.’ (Darin Morash/CBC)

He said the allegations Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada have been linked to murders and acts of extortion, intimidation and coercion against Canadians and people living in Canada are “very disappointing.”

“I’m worried about that, that things are getting dark right now,” he said.

Parmjeet Gill, joint secretary for the Sikh Society of Manitoba, said on Tuesday what’s happening between the two countries is unfortunate.

“I can pray that shouldn’t be happening,” he said, and hopes “both countries have a smooth relationship and that people live a normal life.”

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