WSO raises concerns after appointment of Indian diplomats in Canada

The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) is raising concerns following the announcement that Canada and India have appointed new high commissioners as part of a diplomatic reset. Canada has appointed Christopher Cooter, a veteran diplomat with 35 years of service, as its new High Commissioner to India, while India has named Dinesh K. Patnaik as its envoy to Canada.

WSO is calling on the Government of Canada to provide clear assurances that newly appointed Indian diplomats will not have intelligence or police backgrounds, will not engage in espionage or criminal activity in Canada, and will be held accountable to Canadian law.

Today’s announcement comes less than a year after Canada expelled the Indian High Commissioner and five other diplomats in October 2024. According to the RCMP, those diplomats were linked to criminal activity and transnational repression, including harassment, extortion, and violence conducted by agents of the Government of India working with criminal proxies. The RCMP has specifically pointed to links between Indian officials and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, a violent transnational network behind shootings, murders, arsons, and widespread extortion across Canada.

Canada is experiencing an unprecedented surge in Bishnoi-linked violence, creating a climate of fear across B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. The Mayors of Surrey and Brampton, the Premiers of British Columbia and Alberta, and the Conservative Party of Canada have publicly called for the Bishnoi gang to be designated as a terrorist organization. Such a listing would empower Canadian authorities to freeze assets, disrupt financing, and pursue terrorism-related charges.