Canada issues ‘duty to warn’ letters to two Sikh activists
Move raises fresh concerns over threats against India critics abroad
Chandigarh: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have issued “duty to warn” letters to two Canadian Sikh activists, informing them of what police describe as credible, serious and imminent threats to their lives.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Canadian media reports revealed that the warnings were issued to Inderjeet Singh Gosal of Caledon, Ontario, a Canadian coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum, and Manjinder Singh of Abbotsford, British Columbia. The letters advised the activists to exercise caution and offered police assistance.
The development has renewed concerns over the safety of Sikh activists and critics of India living abroad. The RCMP has not publicly disclosed the nature or source of the threats, and the warnings should not by themselves be taken as proof of responsibility by any particular government or organisation.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of the killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. The RCMP subsequently arrested and charged four Indian nationals with murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the case.
In July 2026, the US Justice Department charged imprisoned Indian gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi with allegedly ordering Nijjar’s assassination, while Canadian authorities said at the time that they had found no evidence linking Indian government officials to the killing.
However, concerns over alleged Indian transnational repression have a broader history. Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians has identified India among countries engaged in foreign interference and noted concerns over the targeting of dissidents and critics in Canada.
The issue had already caused a major diplomatic crisis between Canada and India after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in 2023 that Canadian security agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian government agents and Nijjar’s killing. India rejected the allegation.
The fresh police warnings therefore revive questions about the security of India’s political critics and separatist activists abroad, particularly in light of previous allegations and investigations involving threats, violence and transnational repression.
