New Delhi: Amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Canada arising out of Ottawa’s support for Sikh separatists, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday disclosed that as many as 26 extradition requests from New Delhi have been pending with the Canadian side for over a decade. While sharing this information during his regular media briefing here, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal specifically named five of these terrorists and criminals.
“In all, 26 extradition requests are pending with the Canadian side,” Jaiswal said. “These are over the last decade or more. Among these are also several provisional arrest requests of criminals, which are pending with the Canadian side.”
He then named “some of the notable ones”, who have been charged with terror and related crimes. “They are Gurjeet Singh, Gurjinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Lakhbir Singh Landa and Arshdeep Singh Gill. They are wanted in terror charges and some related charges as well,” he said.
According to Jaiswal, India has also shared security-related information with the Canadian government regarding gang members, including those of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and requested the Canadian government to arrest these gangsters and/or take due action as per law. “While we have given and exchanged this information, so far no action has been taken by the Canadian side on our request,” he said. “This is very serious.”
At the same time, he described it as “very strange” that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), instead of taking any action, is blaming the Indian side for these people committing crimes in Canada.
So, who are these five terrorists and criminals that the spokesperson deems important to be specifically named and what are the charges against them?
Gurjeet Singh Cheema, a native of Jogi Cheema in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, is currently residing in Brampton, Canada. He holds Canadian citizenship. He is a known activist with the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and an active participant in the Singh Khalsa Sewa Club in Brampton, Toronto. The ISYF was proscribed in India under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) on March 22, 2002. Gurjeet has been involved in radicalising, recruiting, and funding Sikh youths for orchestrating targeted killings in Punjab. During a visit to Punjab in March-April 2017, he helped establish a terrorist module for these activities. In July 2016 and May 2017, he transferred Rs 75,000 to Sukhmanpreet Singh, a member of the module, to support its operations. Gurjeet also facilitated the shipment of militant hardware from Pakistan through contacts like Lakhbir Singh Rode and travelled to Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, in March 2017 to procure weapons for the module.
Gurjinder Singh Pannu, originally from Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran, is now a resident of Hamilton, Canada. He too holds Canadian citizenship. An activist with the ISYF and a member of the Singh Khalsa Sewa Club, he has been actively involved in radicalising Sikh youths and raising funds to support terrorist modules. Between June 2016 and February 2017, Gurjinder transferred over Rs 3,70,000 to members of these terrorist modules to facilitate the purchase of weapons.
Gurpreet Singh, originally from Moga in Punjab and now residing in Ontario, Canada, is also a Canadian national and an activist with the ISYF. He is also an active member of the Singh Khalsa Sewa Club in Toronto. Gurpreet has been involved in radicalising, recruiting, and funding Sikh youths to carry out targeted killings in Punjab. During a visit to India in March 2016, he established an ISYF module for terrorist activities in the region. In November 2016, in collaboration with Pakistan-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harmeet PhD, who was killed in Pakistan in 2020, Gurpreet acquired two pistols for the module members. In April 2017, he provided additional funds to source pistols from Gwalior for the module. Between June 2016 and February 2017, he transferred over Rs 1,00,000 to further support the module’s operations.
Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias ‘Landa’ was officially designated an “individual terrorist” by the Ministry of Home Affairs in December last year. A leader of the Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Landa is the 55th person to be identified as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He is wanted for numerous crimes in India, with the Home Ministry accusing him of orchestrating the 2022 rocket attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali, among other terrorist activities. Born in Tarn Taran, Punjab, in 1989, Landa has over 30 criminal cases registered against him across the state. After fleeing to Canada, he is now based in Edmonton, Alberta. Landa is also known to have close ties with Pakistan-based gangster Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda. Both their names appeared on a National Investigation Agency (NIA) list of five pro-Khalistan BKI operatives in September last year, with cash rewards announced for information leading to their arrests.
Arshdeep Singh Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, was declared a designated terrorist by the Home Ministry in January last year for his alleged involvement in heinous crimes. Arshdeep, originally from Dalla village in Punjab’s Moga district, has been involved in numerous organised criminal activities. He is linked to extremist groups such as the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). Arshdeep also has ties to the infamous Canadian gangster Goldy Brar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Arshdeep is known for his involvement in cross-border smuggling of weapons and drugs, often collaborating with Pakistan-based operatives and using drones to facilitate the transfer of arms into India. His criminal network also plays a key role in recruiting and radicalising youth to join militant groups. Due to his activities, he has been identified as a significant threat by Indian authorities and is on the radar of the NIA, which has issued a Red Corner Notice for his arrest.
During the media briefing, spokesperson Jaiswal said that India has always been asking Canada to take strict action against separatist forces but to no avail. “Anti-India elements in Canada are being promoted and encouraged for political reasons,” he said.
Read more: Indian Security Agencies Apprehensive Over Ottawa’s Support To Solve Terror Cases
