Toronto: Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has issued “duty to warn” letters to two Sikh activists, cautioning them about credible and serious threats to their lives allegedly linked to their involvement in efforts to establish a separate Sikh state in India.
The notices were issued to Inderjit Singh Gosal, of Caledon, Ontario, and Manjinder Singh, of Abbotsford, British Columbia, according to media reports from Canada.
Gosal said he received the warning on Friday, August 14, after RCMP contacted him by phone in Caledon.
Police warn of potential danger
“Duty to warn” notices are issued when police have credible intelligence indicating that an individual may face a threat to their life. The letters generally do not disclose specific details about the nature or source of the threat.
According to the reports, the RCMP told the two activists that their families and friends were not considered to be at risk. However, police cautioned that they could potentially be harmed if an attempt was made on the activists’ lives.
The letters also advised them to exercise caution, including avoiding places frequently associated with individuals involved in criminal activity.
Gosal is the Canadian coordinator for the Khalistan referendum campaign.
Warning comes amid wider security concerns
The warnings come around three years after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia. The killing significantly strained relations between Canada and India, after then-prime minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian authorities had information suggesting a possible link between agents of the Indian government and the killing.
The report also links the latest warnings to concerns surrounding Indian organised crime networks. It states that Lawrence Bishnoi has been accused in the US of ordering Nijjar’s killing.
In July, the US Department of Justice announced arrests of 24 suspects worldwide allegedly linked to such criminal networks.
Relations between India and Canada have since seen efforts towards normalisation, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit in Alberta.
