Canada: Sikh Politician calls for RSS ban, diplomatic sanctions on India amid rising tensions
Ottawa: Amid growing diplomatic tensions between India and Canada following the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh on Monday urged the Canadian government to impose diplomatic sanctions on India and ban the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) network in Canada. Singh, a former ally of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressed deep concerns for the safety of the Sikh community in Canada and backed the expulsion of Indian diplomats.
In a statement, Singh called for decisive action, stating, “We support today’s decision to expel India’s diplomats and we’re calling on the Government of Canada to put diplomatic sanctions against India in place, ban the RSS network in Canada, and commit to pursuing severe consequences for anyone involved in organised criminal activity on Canadian soil.”
Singh's comments followed the release of a report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which highlighted growing threats, harassment, and violence faced by the Sikh community. The report outlined critical issues, including violent extremism, potential links between Indian government agents and homicides, and interference in Canada's democratic processes.
Singh also alleged that Canada has credible evidence linking Indian officials to Nijjar’s assassination. He stressed the need for accountability, emphasising that multiple individuals had been indicted by the United States for related crimes. Singh further claimed that 13 people in Canada had received warnings of serious threats to their lives since September 2023.
Nijjar, labelled a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, in June 2023.
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One more person arrested in Baba Siddique murder case
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai police have arrested one more person in connection with the killing of NCP leader and former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, officials said on Tuesday.
The accused has been identified as Harishkumar Balakram (23), hailing from Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh, an official said.
Balakram was working as a scrap dealer in Maharashtra's Pune, he said, adding the accused was also part of the conspiracy to kill Siddique.
He was nabbed from Bahraich, the official said.
With this, four persons have so far been arrested in connection with Siddique's killing.
Police had earlier arrested Haryana resident Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), Uttar Pradesh native Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap (19), both alleged shooters, and "co-conspirator" Pravin Lonkar from Pune.
Another suspected shooter Shivkumar Gautam, who hails from Bahraich, is on the run.
Baba Siddique (66) was waylaid by three persons in Mumbai's Nirmal Nagar area, just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office, and shot at on Saturday night. He was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead, according to police.
