Ottawa, Canada: The Sikh Federation (Canada) has responded to the Canadian government’s decision to designate the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity, calling it an “insufficient symbolic gesture” that fails to address ongoing threats to the Sikh community allegedly directed by Indian officials.

In a September 29, 2025 press release, the organization expressed frustration at what it described as Ottawa’s failure to hold Indian government officials accountable for violence against Sikh Canadians.

The statement came as Dinesh Patnaik assumed his post as India’s High Commissioner to Canada and Defence Minister Anita Anand prepared for an official visit to India.

According to the Sikh Federation, Canadian officials have acknowledged that the Bishnoi gang “was not acting independently; it was being directed by senior members of the Government of India.” The press release argued that proscribing a single gang would not prevent Indian officials from “hiring an alternative gang in the future.”

The group pointed to public allegations that operatives in Indian consulates clandestinely collected intelligence on Sikh Canadians, which was relayed to India’s Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah and then shared with the Bishnoi gang for purposes of intimidation, extortion, and violence. “Threat warnings to Sikh community members remain ongoing,” the statement noted.

The Federation further highlighted concerns about impunity, arguing that “treating this breach of diplomatic norms as an historical footnote without transparency, accountability, or safeguards raises serious questions about the Government of Canada’s priorities.”

The organization also pointed to India’s promotion of Parag Jain as head of the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) earlier this year, suggesting it signaled “continuity and escalation” of India’s alleged policy of transnational repression. Canadian intelligence documents, including a 2019 NSICOP briefing, reportedly identified Jain as one of two officials operating under diplomatic cover in Canada during a period when CSIS detected a surge in Indian intelligence activity targeting Sikh communities.

Moninder Singh, National Spokesperson for the Sikh Federation (Canada), urged Ottawa to outline what measures are in place to ensure accountability.

“The Government must outline what steps it has taken to ensure that Indian officials are held responsible for their crimes and do not take part in any future violent attacks, other forms of transnational repression and intimidation, or foreign interference in Canadian policy-making or political processes,” Moninder Singh stated.

“The designation of the Bishnoi gang will have little impact on its own and remain a meaningless gesture until the Indian government officials responsible for orchestrating widespread violence in Canada are held to account”, he added.

The press release underscores growing tensions between Canada’s Sikh diaspora and the federal government over the handling of India’s alleged interference and violence in Canada.

Sikh Federation Canada’s Press Release Dated 29th September 2025 (PDF):