Indian Interference in Canadian Politics, Targeting Sikhs

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, has disclosed that government of India agents interfered in Canada’s Conservative’s 2022 leadership race. They did so by purchasing memberships for one candidate while undermining another, and boasted of funding ‘a number of politicians at all levels of government.’ The Indian Consulate in Canada also urged an MP to pull back their support to Patrick Brown during the 2022 Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leadership race. In addition, in 2022, the Indian Consulate barred Brown from Indian community and Consulate events for his policy positions were seen to be contrary to Indian interests at the time. CSIS recently approached multiple pro-India actors and organizations in Canada over concerns about interference on behalf of India, They appear to have independently supported the Pierre Poilievre leadership campaign. Another Sikh news website published a dossier on some of the chief Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau officials working from Indian consulates. The names include Akun Sabharwal, Sarvesh Raj, Amanat Mann, Shachi Ghildiyal, Deepak Chaudhary, Manmeet Singh Narang, Jag Mohan and P Karunakaran (Mohan and Karunakaran are still stationed at the Washington embassy), and Jasdip Singh, Chairman of Sikhs of America. Meanwhile, on 13 Dec, a leading American newspaper reported on an organization named the Disinfo Lab, founded in 2020. It has published lengthy social media posts claiming to reveal the funding sources behind US-based Modi critics. The report alleged that Disinfo Lab is run by Lt. Col. Dibya Satpathy, presently posted with India’s RAW.