In a startling development that threatens to further strain already tense India-Canada relations, newly unsealed U.S. court documents reveal that India’s foreign intelligence agency allegedly recruited an Indian businessman to orchestrate the assassination of a Canadian Sikh activist on Canadian soil.
The documents, filed in a New York federal court, detail how India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) approached businessman Vikash Yadav with an assassination plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent Sikh separatist leader who holds dual U.S.-Canadian citizenship. According to prosecutors, Yadav was instructed to arrange Pannun’s murder in exchange for the dismissal of criminal charges against him in India and financial compensation of up to $200,000.
“The target engages in anti-India activities,” Yadav was allegedly told by an Indian government official identified in court documents as CC-1. “It’s better to finish him.”
This revelation adds credibility to allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last September, when he publicly suggested that agents of the Indian government were involved in the assassination of another Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia. At the time, India vehemently denied these claims, dismissing them as “absurd” and expelling Canadian diplomats in retaliation.
The U.S. Justice Department’s case has exposed what appears to be a pattern of state-sponsored violence against diaspora critics. Investigators uncovered evidence showing that RAW officials provided Yadav with detailed surveillance information about Pannun’s movements and routines in New York, including photographs of his residence and specific instructions on the execution method.
Security experts have noted that such alleged operations represent a significant breach of international norms. Dr. Jocelyn Coulon, researcher at the University of Montreal’s Centre for International Studies, told CO24 World News that “these actions, if proven true, constitute a severe violation of state sovereignty and international law that goes beyond traditional espionage activities.”
The diplomatic fallout has been swift. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister has summoned India’s High Commissioner for urgent consultations, while security for prominent Sikh activists across North America has been enhanced. Economic relations between the two countries, which include over $11 billion in annual bilateral trade, now face mounting uncertainty.
For Canada’s Sikh community, numbering approximately 770,000 and representing one of the largest Sikh populations outside India, these revelations have heightened concerns about their safety and freedom of expression. Community leaders have called for stronger protections against foreign interference and transnational repression.
“This case demonstrates the ongoing challenges of balancing diplomatic relations with the fundamental duty to protect citizens from foreign threats,” noted former CSIS analyst Stephanie Carvin in an interview with CO24 Canada News.
The Indian government has responded to the U.S. court filings by establishing a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the allegations, while maintaining that any such operations would represent actions by “rogue elements” rather than official policy.
As investigations continue on both sides of the border, the central question remains: how should democratic nations respond when evidence suggests that foreign governments are targeting dissidents within their borders, and what diplomatic price should be paid for such alleged sovereignty violations?
