NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: India on Tuesday rubbished all allegations of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) that New Delhi had hired the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to target Khalistani elements on its soil. Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly said all options were on the table, including announcing sanctions.
It’s the same old Trudeau saying the same old things for the same old reasons, official sources remarked. Both India and Canada expelled six diplomats each as part of their punitive action the previous day.
But one person who might have found it difficult to conceal a chuckle was Lawrence Bishnoi, 31, who is in Gujarat’s Sabarmati jail.
By alleging that he was hired to harm the Khalistanis, Canada elevated him to the level of the once dreaded gangster Chhota Rajan, who was cultivated by India to neutralise Dawood Ibrahim some decades ago. Bishnoi’s name was recently linked to the supari murder of senior NCP leader Baba Siddiqui in Mumbai.
“India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians on Canadian soil, whether it was the murders or extortion or other violent acts,’’ claimed Trudeau.
Bilateral diplomatic ties dived following the gunning down of Khalistani radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year.
Rebutting the charges, official sources said, “From the very beginning, the Canadian approach has been to make vague accusations and put the burden of denial on India.”
RCMP officer Brigitte Gauvin had alleged that India specifically targeting pro-Khalistani elements in Canada. “What we have seen is, from an RCMP perspective, they use organised crime elements. It has been publically attributed and claimed by one organised crime group in particular (Lawrence) Bishnoi group. We believe that the group is connected to agents of the Government of India.’’
An RCMP statement said, its multidisciplinary probe team has a significant amount of information “about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada... specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement.”
It alleged that Indian diplomats and consular officials engaged in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India.
Decision absurd: India
“It is absurd that after intensively engaging the High Commissioner over the last year, the Canadian government now chooses to target him,’’ India said
Basic error: Trudeau
India made a fundamental error in thinking it could support criminal activity against Canadians on Canadian soil, claimed Trudeau