Ottawa, October 19, 2026: The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) has released a new report examining what it describes as India-linked disinformation campaigns targeting Sikh Canadians and their impact on public discourse in Canada.
Titled India’s Disinformation Campaign Against Canada’s Sikhs: 2026 Report — Patterns, Propagation & Impact, the report examines how allegedly false or misleading narratives are created, amplified through online networks and media outlets, and eventually introduced into Canadian political and public discussion.
According to WSO, the latest report builds on its earlier study published in 2021. The organization says that, over the past five years, the methods used to spread such narratives have become more sophisticated, including suspected bot networks, coordinated cross-platform amplification and the movement of poorly sourced claims into mainstream media coverage.
The report also cites findings from Canada’s Foreign Interference Commission, which identified disinformation as a significant threat to Canadian democracy.
The Commission’s final report stated that India uses disinformation as a form of foreign interference against Canada and said such activities primarily target Canada’s Sikh diaspora while promoting pro-India and anti-Khalistan narratives.
How the narratives spread
According to WSO, many disinformation campaigns begin with anonymous, unverified or questionable sources. The allegations are then repeated by multiple media outlets and amplified online, including through suspected bot accounts.
The organization says such claims can later enter Canadian media and political debate through social media posts, opinion columns and commentary, giving them greater public credibility.
WSO further alleges that these campaigns tend to intensify around major political developments and frequently associate Sikh political activism and advocacy for Khalistan with terrorism, organized crime or foreign intelligence activities.
The report notes that even when Canadian authorities reject or correct certain allegations, the original claims may remain online and continue to circulate.
Cases highlighted in the report
Among the incidents documented by WSO are false reports claiming that four men charged in the killing of Sikh leader Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar had been released from custody. Canadian authorities later confirmed that the accused remained in custody.
The report also refers to the case of Canada Border Services Agency superintendent Sundeep “Sunny” Singh Sidhu, who was reportedly accused online of links to terrorism and an assassination in Punjab. WSO says the CBSA investigated the allegations and cleared him.
Another case examined by the report relates to online narratives following unrest in Brampton in 2024. WSO says suspected bot networks amplified inflammatory claims, with one Canadian commentator receiving nearly 6,000 retweets from around 1,800 suspicious accounts in November 2024.
The report also documents an incident involving two Surrey police officers performing Gatka, a traditional Sikh martial art. According to WSO, the officers were portrayed online as “Khalistani cops” preparing to attack a Hindu temple. The organization says more than 370 suspected bot accounts amplified the allegation before it was picked up by Indian television channels.
Another example concerns an opinion article in the National Post that repeated an Indian “narco-terrorism” allegation linking a Peel Regional Police drug investigation to the Khalistan movement.
WSO says Peel Regional Police informed the organization that there was no evidence connecting Project Pelican with the Khalistan movement or anti-India activity.
Survey points to rise in anti-Sikh hate
The report also links disinformation with what WSO describes as a broader increase in anti-Sikh hate and discrimination in Canada.
According to survey data collected from more than 1,600 Sikh Canadians, 80 per cent of respondents said they believed hate and discrimination against Sikhs had increased.
WSO also reported that 91 per cent of visibly identifiable Sikh respondents said they had experienced targeting.
Among more than 1,000 respondents who answered a question related to their political beliefs or support for Khalistan, 54 per cent said they had experienced hate connected to those beliefs.
WSO calls for government action
WSO President Danish Singh said the existence of disinformation targeting Sikhs in Canada had been documented by Canadian intelligence agencies, the Foreign Interference Commission, journalists and WSO’s own research.
“The issue now is how Canada can respond to a system that can take a false allegation, amplify it across platforms and media, and ultimately place real Canadians at risk,” Singh said.
The report calls on Canadian governments to treat anti-Sikh disinformation as part of the country’s wider foreign-interference challenge.
It also recommends the creation of rapid mechanisms for correcting false foreign reporting about Canadians and calls for stronger monitoring of information ecosystems targeting diaspora communities.
The full report, India’s Disinformation Campaign Against Canada’s Sikhs: 2026 Report — Patterns, Propagation & Impact, has been published by the World Sikh Organization of Canada.
Full Report: WSO Releases Report on India-Linked Disinformation Targeting Sikh Canadians
