It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Myanmar bans men from applying to work abroad as junta looks to boost military numbers
All men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve in the Myanmar military for up to two years.(Reuters: Ann Wang)
Myanmar's junta has suspended the issuing of permits for men to work abroad, it said, weeks after introducing a military conscription law that led to thousands trying to leave the country.
The junta is struggling to crush widespread armed opposition to its rule.
In February, it announced that it would enforce a law allowing it to call up all men to serve in the military for at least two years.
The move sent thousands queuing for visas outside foreign embassies in Yangon and others crossing into neighbouring Thailand to escape the law, according to media reports.
Nearly 100,000 men applied for work permits in the three months after that, part of a wider exodus of people fleeing, the BBC reported.
A food delivery driver in Yangon has now lost the possibility of working abroad after a suspension in the processing of permits for men.(AFP: Sai Aung Main)
The labour ministry has "temporarily suspended" accepting applications from men who wish to work abroad, the ministry said in a statement posted by the junta's information team.
The measure was needed to "take more time to verify departure processes and according to other issues," it said, without giving details.
More than 4 million Myanmar nationals were working abroad in 2020, according to an estimate by the International Labour Organisation, citing figures from the then-government.
Analysts say many more work abroad off the books.
A rebel group poses with three prisoners near the border with China after inflicting a major defeat on Myanmar's military last December. (Supplied: The Kokang)
In addition to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and the United Arab Emirates are popular destinations for Myanmar nationals to find employment.
A 32-year-old man who had hoped to work in Japan said he had "lost hope" after this week's suspension of overseas work permits.
"[Everyone] has lost their hope for the future," he told BBC Burmese.
Myanmar’s junta declared mandatory military service for all young men and women in February.
"There are no job opportunities within the country and now they've also forbidden us from leaving the country. Are we not allowed to do anything?" he said.
In Myanmar, men aged between 18 and 35 are required by law to enlist for military service and women aged 18 to 27 are also obliged to sign up.
The United Nations estimates that at least 2.6 million people across the country have been displaced by the war.
Indian wrestlers upset as Modi's party fields controversial lawmaker's son in polls Scores of Indian wrestlers came out in protest in 2023 seeking criminal action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. PHOTO: Reuters
MAY 03, 2024
NEW DELHI — Top Indian Olympic wrestlers have criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party for fielding the son of their former federation chief in national elections, despite his father being charged with sexually harassing female wrestlers.
Scores of Indian wrestlers came out in protest in 2023 seeking criminal action against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a lawmaker from Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
A trial court admitted a case of sexual harassment and intimidation against Singh, who has denied wrongdoing and is currently on bail.
In India's long general election, Singh's son Karan is standing as a BJP candidate in his father's Kaiserganj seat in the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh state, a seat Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh previously won six times.
"Daughters of the country have lost, Brij Bhushan won," said Sakshi Malik, a 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist, in a social media post on May 2.
"By giving an election ticket to his son, they have shattered the aspirations of the country's millions of daughters."
BJP national spokespersons did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Indians are voting in a seven-phase parliamentary election that began on April 19 and ends on June 1, with Modi widely tipped to win a third term when results are announced on June 4.
Malik quit the sport in protest in 2023 and fellow Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia returned one of India's highest civilian awards.
Punia wrote on social media on May 2: "It is the misfortune of the country that daughters who win medals will be dragged on the streets and the son of the person who sexually exploits them will be honoured by giving him a ticket."
Opposition Congress party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh said the BJP had fallen to a "new low" and had no "moral compass".
Awanish Tyagi, a state BJP spokesperson, dismissed the opposition criticism in his comments to ThePrint news website and said issues are being created "deliberately".
Indonesia to permanently relocate nearly 10,000 people after Ruang volcano eruptions
A house in Indonesia's North Sulawesi province damaged by the
eruption of the Ruang volcano. PHOTO: Reuters PUBLISHED ONMAY 03, 2024
JAKARTA — The Indonesian government will permanently relocate almost 10,000 residents after a series of explosive eruptions of the Ruang volcano raised concerns about the dangers of residing on the island in future, a minister said on May 3.
About 9,800 people live on Ruang island, in the province of North Sulawesi, but in recent weeks all residents have been forced to evacuate after the mountain continued to spew incandescent lava and columns of ash kilometres into the sky.
The authorities this week raised the alert status of the volcano to the highest level, closed the provincial airport in Manado, and warned of a possible tsunami if parts of the mountain collapse into the surrounding waters.
Hundreds of "simple but permanent" homes would be built in the Bolaang Mongondow area to facilitate the relocations, said coordinating human development minister Muhadjir Effendy, after a Cabinet meeting to discuss the volcano on May 3.
"As instructed by President Joko Widodo, we will build houses that meet disaster-standards," he said, adding that the site was located about 200km from Ruang island.
Mount Ruang began to dramatically erupt in April, with experts saying the eruptions were triggered by increased seismic activity, including deep sea earthquakes.
The mountain erupted again on April 30, causing damage to some homes and forcing residents to evacuate from the Tagulandang island, where they had initially sought refuge, to the provincial capital of Manado.
Roads and buildings on Tagulandang were blanketed in a thick layer of volcanic ash, and the roofs of some homes had collapsed, according a Reuters witness.
The volcano had not erupted on May 3 but Manado's Sam Ratulangi Airport remained closed until the evening due to the spread of volcanic ash.
Indonesia straddles the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity where multiple tectonic plates meet.
Rights group concerned over El Salvador constitutional reform
AFP May 3, 2024 El Salvador's unicameral legislative assembly -- dominated by allies of President Nayib Bukele -- has approved a reform to the country's founding law that will make it easier for him to push through other constitutional changes - Copyright AFP Anselmo Cunha
Amnesty International on Friday expressed concern for rights guarantees under a constitutional reform in El Salvador, whose president has been waging a brutal war on criminal gangs.
The Central American country’s unicameral legislative assembly — dominated by allies of President Nayib Bukele — approved a reform Monday to the country’s founding law that will make it easier for him to push through other constitutional changes.
In the past, constitutional reforms had to be proposed and approved by a 50-plus-one majority of the sitting assembly, then ratified by two-thirds of a new chamber after fresh elections.
Monday’s vote has changed that, and any proposed constitutional change can now be ratified by three-quarters of El Salvador’s 60-member legislature, where Bukele’s party holds 54 seats.
Amnesty expressed concern that the reform could have a “negative impact… on respect for human rights in the future.”
It could also “drastically reduce the space for debate… and limit the participation of people in matters of public interest.”
Bukele launched a war on gangs in March 2022 with a state of emergency suspending the need for arrest warrants, among other civil liberties.
Human rights organizations have criticized Bukele’s methods, but a majority of citizens have welcomed the sharp drop in homicide rates in the violence-weary country.
In February, voters gave their approval in elections that returned Bukele to office for another five years with a bigger majority in the legislature.
Last month, Bukele’s security minister said three-quarters of the country’s gang members have been arrested since the crackdown started two years ago.
Canadian Sikh MP claims India hand in Hardeep Nijjar killing after arrests
Jagmeet Singh LEADER of Canada's New Democratic Party claimed the Indian government hired assassins to kill Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey in 2023.
In ShortJagmeet Singh says Indian government hired assassins to kill Nijjar Canadian cops arrest 3 Indians in murder case Police have not given proof linking the accused to Indian government
Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh has alleged that the Indian government was behind the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar as police arrested three Indians in connection with the murder case. However, Canadian police have not given any evidence linking the three accused to the Indian government.
Jagmeet Singh of Canada's New Democratic Party claimed the Indian government hired assassins to kill Nijjar in Surrey in 2023, an incident that set off a diplomatic clash with India.
"The Indian government hired assassins to murder a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil - at a place of worship. Today 3 arrests were made," he said.
"Any Indian agent or state actor that ordered, planned or carried out this murder must be exposed and met with the full force of Canadian law. For Canada, democracy and free speech - there must be justice for Hardeep Singh Nijjar," Singh tweeted.
WHO ARE THE THREE INDIANS ARRESTED IN HARDEEP NIJJAR CASE
On Friday, the three Indians, alleged members of a 'hit squad', were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, and charged with first-degree murder. In a press conference, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) identified the three men as Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22.
RCMP superintendent Mandeep Mooker said the suspects were identified some months ago and were under tight surveillance.
The police said all the suspects were Indian nationals and non-permanent residents of Canada. Police said the trio allegedly played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed.
Authorities are also investigating if they have ties to the Indian government.
"There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today, and these efforts include investigating connections to the government of India," RCMP assistant commissioner David Teboul said.
The Indian government has not commented on the arrests yet.
WHO WAS HARDEEP NIJJAR
Hardeep Nijjar, a Khalistani separatist, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023. Months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed "agents of the government of India" for orchestrating the shooting.
The Indian government has called the claim "absurd" and asked Canada to withdraw more than 40 of its diplomats from the country - citing parity with the strength of Indian diplomats in Canada.
India had also stopped issuing visas to Canadian nationals, but later resumed them in a phased manner.
TIT FOR TAT
Exclusive: Why is Trudeau govt silent on Punjab gangsters living in Canada
The following list of seven Indian origin Punjab gangsters was shared with Canadian Intelligence and RCMP for the past years with the request for extradition.
New Delhi: The arrest of three gangsters—Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar—by Canadian Police for alleged killing of Bhindranwale Tiger Force (BTF) terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar reveals that the trio had links with criminal gangs in Haryana and Punjab. Despite not having proper documents, the alleged contract killers were living on temporary visas, raising serious doubts on why they were not deported back to India as they were not even studying.
The Trudeau government has turned a blind eye towards Khalistani radical activity in Canada.
While the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has gone on record stating that it will seek help of their Indian counterparts (read NIA) to dig out the Indian connection, the same institution has been sitting on its hands on Indian requests to extradite at least seven known gangsters from Punjab who have taken shelter in Canada. All efforts of Indian National Security Advisor, Secretary (R&AW), Director Intelligence Bureau and DG (NIA) to get these gangsters, who are involved in contract killing and extortion in Punjab and Haryana while sitting in Canada, have hit the wall due to non-cooperation from the pro-Khalistani Justin Trudeau government.
The following list of seven Indian origin Punjab gangsters was shared with Canadian Intelligence and RCMP for the past years with the request for extradition. But the Trudeau government, who treats Khalistanis as vote banks, has never agreed to cooperate on this front. Instead, it is blaming the Modi government for being involved in killing terrorist Nijjar in June 2023.
Arshdeep Singh aka Arsh Dala, resident of Dala in Moga district of Punjab and currently living in Surrey, Canada. Surrey is the place where Nijjar was shot dead.
Lakhbir Singh aka Landa, resident of Harike Village in Tarn Taran and presently residing in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Ramandeep Singh aka Raman Judge resident of Ferozpur and currently residing in British Columbia, Canada.
Charanjit Singh aka Rinku Bihla, resident of Bihla, Tallewal, Barnala district, currently residing in Canada.
Gurpinder Singh aka Baba Dalla, resident of Dalla village, Ludhiana Rural, currently residing in Canada.
Satveer Singh Warring aka Sam Abohar, resident of Fazilika district, currently residing in Canada.
Snover Singh Dhillion, resident of Defence Colony, Amritsar, currently residing in Ontario, Canada.
The eight name on the list is Satinderjit Singh aka Goldy Brar, resident of Sri Muktsar Sahib. Brar is currently said to be in California but is a resident of Canada.
While their visa status is not known, the simple way of taking shelter in Canada for Punjab gangsters is to seek political asylum alleging human rights violation by the Indian government or the state government. In the meantime, prominent people in Punjab and Haryana are being extorted or harassed by these gangsters through criminal nodes from all over the world including Philippines and Malaysia.
Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder: Canadian Police arrest 3 Indian nationals
Investigators are looking into their possible connections to government of India
Web Desk Updated: May 04, 2024
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, was killed by unidentified gunmen in Canada on June 18, 2023 | Reuters
The Canadian Police, on Friday, arrested three Indian nationals who they believe were part of an alleged hit squad linked to the murder of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey of British Columbia last year.
The three youths, all in their 20s, were reportedly arrested during police operations in at least two provinces, say media reports. The investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada a few months ago and have been keeping them under surveillance.
According to media reports, the three—Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar—have been arrested and charged in the killing of Nijjar. Each faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in Nijjar's death.
Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen, was gunned down outside his gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of Nijjar.
According to The Toronto Star newspaper, Teboul said in addition to the murder case, separate investigations are looking into possible connections to the Government of India. "There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today, and these efforts include investigating connections to the government of India."
A media report said the suspects had entered Canada on student visas but may have been working at the direction of Indian intelligence when they shot Nijjar.
The three are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey in British Columbia, according to sources.
According to court records, Brar has been charged with a murder that occurred in Surrey on June 18, 2023. He also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit murder on May 1, 2023 in Edmonton and Surrey, the report said.
Quoting sources close to the investigation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported that the police are actively investigating possible links to three additional murders in Canada, including the death of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton.
The relationship between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar. India denied Trudeau's charges as "absurd" and "motivated."
On Thursday, India rejected fresh comments by Trudeau on the killing of Nijjar and said the remarks once again illustrated the political space given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence.
Trudeau addressed a Khalsa Day event in Toronto on Sunday that was attended by some pro-Khalistan supporters.
On the sidelines of the event, he told the media that the killing of Nijjar created a "problem" and that he cannot ignore it.
"PM Trudeau has made such remarks earlier as well. His remarks illustrate once again the political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in New Delhi at his weekly media briefing.
"This not only impacts India-Canada relations but also encourages a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens," he said when asked about Trudeau's remarks.
—With agency inputs
Police make arrests in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Months-long investigation into politically charged killing also probes links to other cases: sources
CBC's Evan Dyer breaks down what investigators revealed on Friday about the arrests of three men in connection with the killing of prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., last June.
Canadian police have arrested members of an alleged hit squad investigators believe was tasked by the government of India with killing prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., last June, CBC News has learned.
Sources close to the investigation also told CBC News that police are actively investigating possible links to three additional murders in Canada, including the shooting death of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton.
Members of the hit squad are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, according to the sources.
Sources said investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada some months ago and have been keeping them under tight surveillance.
Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar face first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in the Nijjar case, according to documents filed in a Surrey court Friday. The charges have not been tested in court, but they all appeared before a judge virtually on Friday.
WATCH | Police believe Indian government directed alleged hit squad, say sources:
Three Indian nationals have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the killing of prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., last June. Police believe they are part of an alleged hit squad directed by the Indian government.
Although sources initially told CBC News that raids were expected in at least two provinces, RCMP confirmed Friday that all three men were arrested separately in Edmonton without incident — two of them in their homes and another elsewhere.
'This investigation does not end here,' says RCMP officer
All of the accused are Indian citizens and have been non-permanent residents of Canada for three to five years, RCMP officers told reporters at their Friday press conference announcing the charges.
Sources told CBC News the men arrived in Canada on temporary visas after 2021, some of them student visas. None are believed to have pursued education while in Canada. None have obtained permanent residency.
Others tied to this crime could be arrested in the coming days, police said.
"This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals," said Supt. Mandeep Mooker, the officer in charge of the B.C. RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
RCMP superintendent Mandeep Mooker speaks during a news conference on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, the RCMP commander for the Pacific region, said he wouldn't comment on the alleged links between these men and Indian officials.
He did say the force is "investigating connections to the government of India."
But Teboul said the force's relationship with Indian police has been "rather challenging and difficult."
Asked if there are any Indian "sleeper agents" in Canada, Teboul said it's a "great question" but he can't say more about it because it's "very much at the centre of evidence and ongoing investigations."
Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc congratulated the RCMP on the arrests and called Friday's developments "significant progress" in trying to get to the bottom of the circumstances around Nijjar's killing.
"The work doesn't end here. In fact, the work continues," LeBlanc told reporters on Parliament Hill.
WATCH | RCMP calls collaboration with partner agencies in India 'rather challenging':
RCMP calls collaboration with partner agencies in India ‘rather challenging’
11 hours ago
Duration1:06
RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul says police have been collaborating and communicating with partner agencies in India but it has been ‘difficult for the last several years.’
CBC News learned of the arrests — as well as other information that was not announced by police on Friday — through extensive discussions with senior investigative and government sources, as well as members of the Sikh community.
The investigative and government sources spoke with CBC News on the condition that they not be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. The sources in the Sikh community expressed concerns about their personal security, so CBC News is not disclosing their identities.
Shifting responses from India
Nijjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen, was shot dead on June 18, shortly after evening prayers at his Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., in what appeared to be a highly coordinated attack, according to video of the incident obtained by CBC's The Fifth Estate.
WATCH | The Fifth Estate shows how the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar was carried out:
The Fifth Estate shows how the killing of a Sikh Canadian activist was carried out, allegedly by agents of the government of India.
Last August, Canadian officials told representatives of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in person that Canada had intelligence linking it to Nijjar's killing.
A month later — on Sept. 18, 2023, not long after returning from a fraught visit to India for the G20 Summit — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rose in the House of Commons to state that "Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India" and Nijjar's killing.
"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," he added.
Modi's government has denied it ordered extrajudicial killings in the U.S. and Canada. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar initially decried the Canadian allegation as "absurd" and accused Canada of harbouring violent extremists.
The minister's tone at a Sept. 27, 2023 speaking event was somewhat less confrontational. Jaishankar said at that time that "we told the Canadians that this is not the government of India's policy."
In December, after a U.S. indictment accused an unnamed Indian government employee of playing a role in a murder-for-hire plot in the U.S., Jaishankar issued another statement.
"We have always maintained that if any country, not just Canada, has a concern and gives us some input or some basis for that concern, we are always open to look at it," he said.
Bloomberg reported in March that the Indian government had given the U.S. a report in which it acknowledged that Indian agents were involved in the U.S. murder plot, but claimed they were rogue operatives.
At this stage of Canada's investigation, investigators are reluctant to expand on any possible connections between Nijjar's alleged killers and Indian government officials.
However, during a roundtable with Canadian Punjabi media on Sunday, Trudeau said the work by intelligence and police agencies was ongoing.
"It is very good and rigorous work. And when the time comes for them to conclude that investigation, there will be some very, very clear things that everyone around the world, including in India, will see as to responsibilities and involvement," he said.
Relatives and friends of Nijjar walk into an RCMP building in Surrey, on Friday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Shot dead a day after being listed in India
Just two days after Trudeau's bombshell statement in the House — on Sept. 20, 2023 — Sukhdool Singh Gill, 39, of Winnipeg was found shot to death in a duplex in the city's northwest. A neighbour told police he heard 11 shots.
Gill also went by the alias Sukha Duneke and allegedly was part of the Davinder Bambiha gang in India, according to police documents in that country. Indian media have reported that he fled to Canada in 2017 using a false passport.
Gill was one of Punjab's most wanted men, accused of extortion and arranging money for gang members to buy weapons. Police in India have publicly linked him to murders and other serious crimes.
He was also on the radar of the government of India.
One day before his killing, Gill's name and photo appeared on a list of 43 names of suspected terrorists drawn up by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), which linked him to the separatist Khalistan Tiger Force. India previously accused Nijjar of being part of the same organization.
The day after Gill died, the NIA tweeted an image of him along with other wanted men.
Sukhdool Singh Gill appeared on a wanted list released via the social media platform X by India's National Investigation Agency — a specialized counter-terrorism law enforcement agency — on Sept. 21, 2023. Gill, 39, was found dead in a northwest Winnipeg home the same week. (NIA India/X)
Father and son slain together
Six weeks after Gill's death, another alleged Indian gangland figure in another western province was shot dead in a brazen daylight attack that also claimed the life of his 11-year-old son.
Harpreet Uppal, a 41-year-old with links to organized crime, was shot dead in his vehicle in a busy suburban shopping area of Edmonton on Nov. 9, 2023. Two boys were in the vehicle, Uppal's 11-year-old son, Gavin, and a friend.
The Edmonton Police Service later said the killers shot both father and son, while sparing the other boy. EPS Acting Superintendent Colin Derkson said Gavin "was not caught in a crossfire or killed by mistake."
No one has been charged in the Gill or Uppal killings, and the sources told CBC News charges in connection to these cases are not expected to come Friday.
The Bishnoi gang
All of the men arrested Friday are alleged associates of a criminal group in Punjab and neighbouring Haryana state that is associated with notorious Punjabi gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently held in India's high-security Sabarmati prison in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, according to sources close to the investigation.
Bishnoi is accused by the Indian government of the shooting murder of Punjabi singer-politician Sidhu Moose Wala, a former resident of Brampton, Ont., in Punjab in May 2022, as well as drug smuggling and extortion.
Bishnoi was one of two jailed Indian gangsters who claimed responsibility on social media for Gill's killing last September, describing it as revenge for a previous gangland killing in India, according to widespread Indian media reports.
India has long alleged that Punjabi gangsters are able to use Canada as a base to squeeze money from business owners and others in India, relying on an army of low-paid gunmen to act as collectors and enforcers back home.
According to both an unsealed U.S. federal indictment and Canadian investigators, the Indian government itself took advantage of those criminal networks to go after its enemies in Canada and the U.S. — enemies such as Nijjar and Khalistani activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, reportedly the target of an unsuccessful assassination plot in the U.S.
WATCH | U.S. indictment reveals alleged murder-for-hire plot linked to India:
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a pro-Khalistan activist and the president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C. His day job was working as a plumber. For years, the Indian government called him a terrorist — a claim Nijjar repeatedly denied. So, who was Nijjar, and why did India think he was such a danger?
Pannun was the key organizer behind a series of independence votes in the Sikh diaspora. While the votes had no legal effect, they reportedly infuriated the Modi government.
Nijjar was targeted by India because of his role in helping to organize the votes in Canada's Sikh community, according to Canadian sources and the U.S. indictment.
Governments and gangsters
One source close to the investigation told CBC News Canada is seeing foreign governments, including India, make use of criminal elements to carry out international operations.
"Why risk sending Indian government people when you can get so much mileage using people from organized crime?" the investigator said.
But while the investigation is probing possible connections between Nijjar's killing and the Gill and Uppal cases, investigators are not convinced the Indian government was involved in the latter two.
Investigators say the Edmonton and Winnipeg killings may have had more to do with gangland rivalries and vendettas.
The foiled hit in the U.S.
The U.S. indictment alleges an Indian government employee contracted a criminal to target enemies in North America.
On June 30, 2023, Czech authorities acting on a U.S. warrant arrested alleged Indian drug trafficker Nikhil "Nick" Gupta. On Nov. 30 he was indicted in the U.S. for allegedly helping an unnamed Indian government official hire a hitman to kill an unnamed Sikh independence activist in New York, reported to be Pannun, widely considered India's number one target.
It was the Drug Enforcement Administration, rather than the FBI, that stumbled onto the U.S.-based conspiracy while investigating Gupta in a narcotics case.
Gupta didn't know that the contact he asked to help him find a hitman was in fact a confidential informant of the DEA, the U.S. indictment alleges. Gupta has denied the charges and is facing extradition to the United States. He has not been tried.
The U.S. indictment also referred to Canadian cases. It alleged the unnamed Indian government employee told Gupta the Nijjar killing had accelerated the timetable for the assassination in New York — "It's [a] priority now," he allegedly texted.
Gupta allegedly sent his supposed contract killer a video of Nijjar's body and told him to "do it quickly."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, walks past Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at Raj Ghat, Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site, during the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
The U.S. indictment says Gupta told the police informant in an audio call that they had "four jobs" to finish before June 29 — one in New York and "three in Canada."
The publication of court documents in his case was one of a number of incidents that concerned Canadian investigators, who watched closely to see what effect the revelations might have on their own surveillance targets in Canada.
A uniquely sensitive time
While the prime minister and U.S. authorities have pointed the finger at the Indian government, Canadian investigators have struggled with the question of how high up the Indian chain of command they should pursue charges.
Investigators long ago dismissed the notion that India's overseas assassination campaign is a rogue operation, as the Indian government has maintained.
They say they believe that Indian officials would not dare to proceed with assassinations in Western countries without official sanction. As CBC News has previously reported, Canadian government sources say Canada has evidence of communications between Indian government officials in India and Canada collected in the course of their investigation.
The arrests come as Indians go to the polls in a national election that takes several weeks of voting to produce a result, expected on June 4. Modi is expected to win a third term in office.
Evan Dyer has been a journalist with CBC for 25 years, after an early career as a freelancer in Argentina. He works in the Parliamentary Bureau and can be reached at evan.dyer@cbc.ca.
US blames Rwanda and M23 rebels for deadly camp strike
James Gregory, BBC News
More than 2.5 million people have been displaced in DR Congo, the US says, with many living in camps like Shabindu in Goma
The US has blamed the Rwandan army and M23 rebel group for the deadly bombing of a displacement camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
At least nine people, including seven children, were killed in the strike on the Mugunga camp in the eastern city of Goma on Friday.
The Congolese army and M23 blamed each other for the attack.
Rwanda, which borders DR Congo, is widely accused of backing the rebel group, which it denies.
The US State Department said Friday's attack came from positions held by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the M23 group.
A spokesperson said the US was "gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion" in eastern DR Congo and called on both parties to "respect human rights and adhere to applicable obligations under international humanitarian law".
"It is essential that all states respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and hold accountable all actors for human rights abuses in the conflict in eastern DR Congo," they added.
Images circulating on social media showed bodies lying on the ground at the camp on Friday.
Most residents had fled there to escape fighting in their home towns and villages.
Lt Col Guillaume Njike Kaiko, a spokesman for DR Congo's army in the region, said the strike had come in retaliation for earlier Congolese attacks on Rwandan army positions.
President Felix Tshisekedi, who has spent several weeks abroad, will be returning to the central African country this weekend following the attack.
Rebel and government troops have both been accused in recent months of abuses against civilians as they vie for territorial control.
Meanwhile, a military court in Goma has sentenced eight DR Congo soldiers to death for "desertion" and "cowardice" when fighting rebel forces.
M23, formed as an offshoot of another rebel group, began operating in 2012 ostensibly to protect the ethnic Tutsi population in the east of DR Congo, which had long complained of persecution and discrimination.
UN experts have said that the group is backed by neighbouring Rwanda, which is also led by Tutsis, something that Kigali has consistently denied.
Congo: Bomb Attack Kills 12 Including Children In 2 Refugee Camps In North Kivu
The UN called the attacks a 'flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime'. Associated Press Updated on: 4 May 2024 Congo bomb attack in refugee camps Photo: AP
Attacks on two camps for displaced people in eastern Congo's North Kivu province on Friday killed at least 12 people, including children, according to local officials, an aid group and the United Nations.
The UN said in a statement that bombs hit two camps for displaced people in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near the city of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.
The UN called the attacks a “flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime”.
Lt. Colonel Ndjike Kaiko, a Congolese army spokesperson, blamed the attacks on a rebel group, known as M23, with alleged links to Rwanda, in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
The M23 rebel group denied any role in the attacks and blamed Congolese forces in a statement published on X.
Details from the area were still emerging on Friday.
A UN spokesperson, Jean Jonas Yaovi Tossa, told the AP that at least 12 people were killed and more than 20 injured in the attacks.
Save The Children, an aid group, said it was present at one of the camps when shells struck close to a busy marketplace ahead of their vehicle. It said dozens were injured, mostly women and children, and the death toll was still unclear.
Congo's president, Felix Tshisekedi, who was travelling in Europe, decided to return home Friday following the bombings, a statement from his office said.
Tshisekedi has long alleged that Rwanda is destabilizing Congo by backing the M23 rebels. UN experts, along with the US State Department, have also accused Rwanda of backing the rebels. Rwanda denies the claims.
Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron called on neighbouring Rwanda to halt its support for the M23 rebel group during a joint press conference with Tshisekedi in Paris.
The bombings follow the M23 rebel group's capture of the strategic mining town of Rubaya this week.
The town holds deposits of tantalum, which is extracted from coltan, a key component in the production of smartphones. It is among the minerals that was named earlier this month in a letter from Congo's government questioning Apple about the tech company's knowledge of “blood minerals” being smuggled in its supply chain.
The decadeslong conflict in eastern Congo has produced one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 100 armed groups fighting in the region, most for land and control of mines with valuable minerals. Some are fighting to try to protect their communities.
Many groups are accused of carrying out mass killings, rapes and other human rights violations. The violence has displaced about 7 million people, many beyond the reach of aid.
