OTTAWA: Sikh community is calling on Canadian law enforcement agencies to fully investigate and prosecute those responsible for targeting a Sikh rally in Ottawa with a false bomb threat.
On Saturday June 11, based on a tip, police cordoned off and surrounded the area around Parliament Hill in Ottawa and detained two Sikh organizers of a rally commemorating the 1984 Indian army attack on the Sri Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple) complex in Amritsar, Punjab. The Indian assault and simultaneous attack on over 60 other gurdwaras across Punjab resulted in the death of thousands of Sikhs and is commemorated by Sikhs across the world every year.
According to law enforcement, the detailed tip included the names of the Sikh organizers, photographs and license plate numbers. On Saturday night, sources confirmed to the media that a “major” national security investigation was underway related to “Sikh extremists”.
After investigations turned up no actual threat or explosives, the two detained Sikhs were released without charges.
“This is not the first time the Canadian Sikh community has been targeted by false bomb threats. Such threats targeting the Sikh community were frequently made in the 1980s. In June 1985, a call was made to police to report that “Sikh extremists” were planning to bomb a concert at Maple Leaf Gardens featuring Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar. The tip was investigated and found to be a hoax,” WSO president Tejinder Singh Sidhu said in a statement.
He said, the false narrative of “Sikh extremism” has repeatedly been used in the past “by the Government of India and Indian media to target legitimate Sikh expression and the Canadian Sikh community generally. Unfortunately, this narrative has also been uncritically perpetuated by Canadian media, law enforcement and politics in the past.”
“The hoax bomb threat targeting a Sikh rally in Ottawa is deeply concerning. This was clearly an attempt to obstruct the commemoration of the 1984 Indian attack on Sri Darbar Sahib and to frighten Sikhs who attend such events.”
Notably, throughout the week, Canadian MPs from all political parties also commemorated the 1984 attack on social media and a statement in the House of Commons was made by MP Ruby Sahota., Singh pointed.
“We call on law enforcement agencies, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to fully investigate this incident and ensure those responsible for making the false threat are fully prosecuted and held accountable.”
Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also called for an immediate investigation. Singh tweeted out a video and in the caption wrote, “A false tip resulted in the arrest of 2 Sikh men while peacefully remembering the 1984 Sikh Genocide on Parliament Hill. Their turbans were removed and searched, while Parliament was placed on high alert.”
In the video, Singh called what happened “very, very troubling,” and said there was no evidence the men participating in a peaceful protest were part of any troubling activity.
“That in light of what we saw when the occupation was going on in Ottawa, when we had people that were engaged in holding up signs and flags that were related to extreme right-wing organizations, dangerous organizations, their presence on the Hill… there was very little reaction,” Singh said, adding communities and local residents were hurt by what he called “the inaction of the police.”
