How Khalistani Terrorists Influence Indian Students In Canada: Indian Envoy
Indian students in Canada “should be aware of their surrounding” and resist radicalisation attempts by Khalistani terrorists and extremists, Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s recalled High Commissioner told NDTV Thursday evening. Mr Verma urged the parents of students in Canada to “please talk to them regularly and try to understand” their situation, and to guide them away from unwise choices.
“At this time in Canada there is a threat from Khalistani terrorists and extremists to the larger Indian community… including outreach to students,” Mr Verma told NDTV.
“How this works is… given the condition of that economy there are few jobs… so students are offered money and food and this is how Khalistani terrorists influence them with nefarious plans.”
Some students, he said, are also persuaded to take photographs or videos of themselves ‘protesting’ – shouting anti-India slogans or insulting the flag – outside Indian diplomatic buildings in Canada.
“Then they are told to go seek asylum… because their version will be, ‘If I go back to India now, I will be punished…’ and there have been cases of such students being given asylum,” he said.
There are, therefore, various kinds of negative influences acting on Indian students in Canada that are pushing them towards the wrong direction, Mr Verma told NDTV, as he appealed to parents.
Mr Verma’s comments come amid worsening India – Canada diplomatic ties after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s unsubstantiated allegations about “agents” of New Delhi being involved in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in June last year.
India has junked the “absurd” and “malicious” claim – which Mr Trudeau has made repeatedly – and also dismissed Canadian federal police allegations that Mr Verma and his staff were linked to organised criminal elements in that country, specifically the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Mr Verma was withdrawn from Canada last week after the Justin Trudeau government named him as a ‘person of interest’ in federal investigations linking “agents of the Indian government’ to organised criminal gangs, including the Lawrence Bishnoi outfit.
