Canada’s Uneasy Balancing Act: The Bishnoi File, India Outreach, and Public Opinion at Home

A classified Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) intelligence assessment—obtained and reported by Global News—has injected fresh complexity into Canada’s India policy at a delicate diplomatic moment. The document alleges that Lawrence Bishnoi, currently imprisoned in India, is directing extortion, drug trafficking and contract killings from behind bars, with the network expanding violent activity in Canada. The report further claims that the gang has “acted on behalf of the Indian government” to target Sikh separatists and other perceived threats.

The disclosure landed just as David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, began an official visit to India to explore trade and investment, and as Canada prepares for an India trip by Prime Minister Mark Carney. Eby is crisscrossing India along with his minister for jobs Ravi Kahlon. Carney is likely to follow them next month. The timing has intensified a public debate in Canada about whether economic pragmatism is eclipsing concerns around transnational repression—particularly within Sikh communities. In other words , there is a strong sentiment  that the nature of the ongoing visit of British Columbian Premier David Eby and the upcoming tour of the Prime Minister Mark Carney , tantamounts to the Canadian establishment throwing everyone, including former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau under the bus.

The debate is inseparable from the unresolved killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist shot dead outside Surrey’s Delta Gurdwara in June 2023. Four suspects of Indian origin have been arrested and are facing trial in the British Columbia Supreme Court. In September 2023, then prime minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian security agencies were investigating credible allegations of Indian involvement—remarks that sharply strained bilateral ties and polarised opinion at home.

Since then, Canadian authorities have issued “duty to warn” notices to several Sikh activists. Public accounts from community members say Nijjar himself had voiced fears for his safety weeks before his death, linking the threat environment to earlier violence against Sikh figures abroad. These perspectives—while contested—have shaped a climate of anxiety among parts of the diaspora.

Notably, Nijjar had also been warned about the threat to his life. He had told this writer a month before his assassination about the possibility of physical violence following the murder of a prominent Khalistani leader Paramjit Singh Panjwar in Pakistan. He had openly accused the Indian agents of being involved in the incident.

Then came another startling revelation about a plot to kill Nijjar’s colleague and Sikhs for Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu in New York. Nikhil Gupta, who was allegedly acting at the behest of the Indian intelligence agency R&AW fell into the police dragnet after offering money to an undercover agent.The indictment against Gupta suggested that there were several others on the hit list of the Indian intelligence.

Against this backdrop, the RCMP’s Bishnoi assessment has sharpened scrutiny of Ottawa and Victoria’s outreach to New Delhi. Critics argue that proceeding with high-level visits risks signalling indifference to security concerns, especially as British Columbia has seen a spate of extortion-linked shootings targeting Punjabi-owned businesses. 

Notably, Premier Eby has previously urged Ottawa to consider designating the Bishnoi network as a terrorist entity if evidence warrants it. That stance has complicated perceptions of his India trip. Former Prime Minister  Trudeau had told the House of Commons back in September 2023, that the Indian agents are suspected to be involved in the murder of Nijjar who was gunned down in the parking lot of Surrey Delta Gurdwara in June that year. The four men accused of the crime are of Indian origin.Trudeau since then has remained the most hated for the right wing forces in India. Not only is he blamed for the growing Khalistan movement in Canada but he continues to receive unwarranted social media trolling and backlash for even unrelated issues like his separation from his wife and the romantic relationship with Katy Perry.

The larger debate related to diplomacy and transnational repression has also been influenced by developments south of the border. The U.S. indictment in New York alleging a plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannu—and naming intermediaries tied to Indian intelligence—has circulated widely in Canadian media, reinforcing public concern among some audiences. Others caution that allegations across jurisdictions should not be conflated before trials conclude.

Meanwhile, changes in global politics—including the return of Donald Trump to the White House and renewed trade pressures—have encouraged Ottawa to recalibrate relationships. In this reading, Canada’s outreach to India reflects a broader, pragmatic turn rather than an endorsement of any alleged wrongdoing.As the Sikh activists continued to keep up the pressure, the newly elected US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs both on Canada and India forcing the Canadian government to partly reestablish its trade relations with India. With Trudeau stepping aside from the Liberal leadership after losing popularity and Carney becoming the new Prime Minister, Canada’s government became more pragmatic, sacrificing its position on social justice.

Carney, who is an economist, appointed Anita Anand as the new Foreign Affairs minister. Anand has been previously associated with a pro India lobby group. To choose someone like her for the position clearly signalled the intentions of Carney since day one.Ignoring the calls of the Sikh activists not to walk into the embrace of the hawkish right wing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Carney invited him for the G7 summit in Canada last summer. Not to be left behind, Eby soon announced his decision to travel to India for forging business ties. The Sikh activists responded with protests each time.

It is also worth noting that Eby had begun hobnobbing with pro-Modi groups in British Columbia well before Trump was elected for a second term. Ahead of the October 2024 provincial election, he sought to court those who had welcomed Modi to Vancouver and Surrey during his 2015 visit to Canada. Any argument justifying closer trade ties with India on the grounds of Trump’s return makes little sense when the timeline is examined. These overtures came a year after Nijjar’s murder and before US tariffs had even come into effect.

Civil-liberties advocates and segments of the Sikh diaspora point out that Canada risks diluting its human-rights posture if it appears to sidestep allegations of cross-border coercion. But the Carbey Administration seems hellbent on opening new channels with New Delhi , led by Narendra Modi. Their contention is that it is necessary for economic stability and regional security . They also suggest that accountability should be pursued through legal mechanisms rather than diplomatic freezes. There are observers who point out that these aren’t good signs for a country that has long claimed to be a human rights leader in the world. They point that the current approach will only give more legitimacy to the Modi government which is constantly  being castigated for its intolerance to minorities and the  suppression of voices of dissent. Modi has even openly bragged that he leads a new India which will go inside the homes of its enemies to eliminate them and is going to become more brazen in his actions. Evidently , these statements are no less than an open acknowledgement of the transnational repression.

What is clear in this context  is that the RCMP’s Bishnoi file has raised the stakes. As Canada seeks to balance trade and diplomacy the controversy over protecting its citizens underscores a central question now playing out in public discourse: can Ottawa deepen engagement with India while credibly addressing allegations that have shaken trust at home?