Jamie Tronnes
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made global headlines by announcing the expulsion of six Indian diplomats. The drastic measure follows serious allegations of India’s repression of and violence against the Indian-Canadian community and interference in Canada’s democratic processes.
The accusations are sensational: “Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities.” Canada’s federal policing agency alleges that agents tied to the Indian government commissioned members of the India-based Bishnoi gang to target, harass, and murder activists. The murder-for-hire plot has extended its web to other countries, including ties to similar allegations in the US.
The use of networks like the Bishnoi gang to silence activists abroad, if true, moves India into the company of Russia and Iran, which have employed similar tactics, hiring Hells Angels and other organized crime syndicates to suppress dissent on foreign soil.
And like authoritarian regimes, India did not stop at physical intimidation against the diaspora community. It also interfered in the democratic processes of Canada, hoping to amplify sympathetic voices and suppress dissent.
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