CANADA INVESTIGATES CHARGES OF INDIAN COVERT OPERATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000201500002-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 19, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 22, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

ST"T
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/19: C
A A S_._
WASHINGTON POST
22 November 1985
Canada Investigates
Charges of Indian
Covert Operations
Newspaper Says Sikhs Were Infiltrated
By Herbert H. Denton
Washington Post Foreign Service
TORONTO, Nov. 21-Canadian
officials are investigating charges
that the Indian government has car-
ried out illegal intelligence opera-
tons in Canada that may be linked
to a series of violent incidents with-
in the local Sikh community.
Sous here confirmed tonight a
report in today's Toronto Globe and
Mail that Canadian officials believe
the Indian.governmentt agents have
operated covertly ere for more
than three years and seemed to be
working to discredit Canadian-
based groups pressing for a sepa-
r,ite Sikh homeland in India,
Indian High Commissioner SJ.S.
Chatwal vehemently denied the re-
port, saying, "The whole thing to
our mind it completely baseless and
goes to almost being nonsense."
But Canadian External Affairs
Ministry spokesman Sean Brady, in
a carefully worded statement, made
no similar blanket denial.
"We have made it clear on. pre-
occasions that any improper
vious
activity by foreign representatives
from any country which wt- `itt;.
terfere in the lives of Canadtar Oi6
izens and residents, if confirmed, is
inappropriate," Brady said. "We
continue to monitor these matters-
closely through the - concerned
agencies of the Canadian gov
ment, and we would take approp
ate actions as required."
Another official statement, by the"
Royal Canadian Mounted police.
disputed only one part of the extent
sively detailed article. The Mount.
ties said there was no "substance o;>i'
foundation" to the assertion in the
Globe and Mail that Canadian inves-
tigators now believe Indian govern-i
ment agents may have been respon-
sible both for the crash of an Air-
India jet off the coast of Ireland last.
June and the explosion on the same!
day of a suitcase at Tokyo's Naritat
airport.
IA-RDP90-00965R000201500002-5
Two baggage handlera, were
killed in Japan and all 329 passen-?
gers and crew perished in the Air--
India crash. Both the luggage and
the Air-India flight had originated in
Canada.
Canadian officials were known to
be probing several other allegations
in the newspaper account, which
included assertions that:
^ At least four Indian government
intelligence operatives also worked
under diplomatic cover at Indian
consulates in Toronto and Vancou-
ver.
^ Some of those agents may have
been, responsible for fomenting vi-
olence during a Sikh rally in To-
ronto three years ago in which a
police constable of Indian origin was
shot and wounded.
^ Other agents, posing as religious
zealots, had infiltrated and taken
over one Sikh organization and
turned it into a fanatical group.
Sources here indicated that the
aim of the purported Indian Intel-
ligence activity may have been to
create divisions among separatists
and to outflank the mainstream sep-
aratist movement with extremist
rg pups.
Indian diplomats have complained
privately in the past that Canadian
officials have not done enough to
protect them from physical attacks
by separatists and have indicated
that they did not believe either U.S.
or Canadian officials had been suf-
ficiently aggressive in pursuing Sikh
terrorism.
At the Commonwealth , onter-
ence in September, Indian Prim e
Minister Rajiv Gandhi expr ssed to
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney his
country's concerns about the r-tiv-
ities of Sikh separatists in C:, i,ida.
The two agreed tentatively t,) an
extradition treaty next year that
would be retroactive. The matter is
'\pec'ed to dm-.ci .s d urtht'r
hen Canadian Secretary for Ex-
'ernal .\tf,urs Joe dark visits india
iirxt month.
urces here uuilcate that Cana-
dian 4ficials have been displeased
for some time about the reported
Indian intelligence operations but
have been reluctant to move to shut
them down because of concern that
they might appear to the ubli to
have been linked to the two airline
disasters in June.
Chatwal said that the
Indian government intelligence
agents had come to Canada was
shortly after the two airline inci-
dents. He said the "three or four"
who came stayed for less than two
weeks and were involved only in
exchanging information with Cana-
dian investigators probing the in-
cidents.
Jerry Cummings, pokennian for
tie Canadian Security i:,telligeace
Service, declined to comment on
CC'hatwal's remarks and said that he
,.ould neither confirm nor deny that
in investigation had been launched
into r!.e activities of Indian govern-
me:nt i ents here.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/01/19: CIA-RDP90-00965R000201500002-5