OTTAWA/WASHINGTON: Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a US-based pro-Khalistan advocacy group, has alleged that a serving Indian diplomat in Ottawa attempted to arrange the killing of Inderjeet Singh Gosal, describing it as a “contract-to-kill” plot involving $50,000 in cash offered to a purported hitman.

SFJ said Canadian security and intelligence agencies were aware of the alleged plot and that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had recently offered Gosal protective measures due to what the group described as an imminent threat.

Gosal has previously been identified in Canadian media as an organiser in the Sikh separatist campaign for an independence referendum for Punjab, and has said he received a police “duty-to-warn” notice related to threats he believes originated from India — an allegation India has repeatedly rejected in broader disputes.

SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said the group was making the allegations public to prevent another killing of a Sikh activist in Canada, referencing the June 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia — an event that triggered a major diplomatic rupture between Canada and India.

In its statement, SFJ also called for supporters to closely monitor the movements of India’s High Commissioner in Canada, Dinesh K Patnaik. Public safety experts generally discourage citizens from taking such actions and instead urge anyone with credible threat information to report it directly to police. Patnaik is listed by India as its High Commissioner to Canada.

The allegations surface amid a sensitive period in Canada-India relations. In October 2024, Canada expelled multiple Indian diplomats, linking them to an RCMP investigation into violent criminal activity connected to the Nijjar case — an accusation India called “preposterous.”

Recently, Gosal has been offered “Witness Protection” by the RCMP owing to an imminent threat to his life.

According to Pannun, multiple Canadian security channels — including the RCMP, which has recently offered witness protection to Gosal — have already received and assessed intelligence regarding the Contract-To-Kill plot against Gosal.

This information was communicated to the highest levels of the Canadian government, including: Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Office; Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s Office; and Minister of Public Safety’s Office.

Pannun stated: “Gosal’s Contract-To-Kill plot is the direct outcome of Prime Minister Carney opening trade talks with Modi without demanding accountability. Canadian sovereignty has collapsed to the point where Indian diplomats feel free to orchestrate killings.”