In a memo to members of the Ottawa Police Services Board, a copy of which was obtained by Radio-Canada, Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Acting Chief Steve Bell promised to meet with the Sikh community and conduct an in-depth investigation into the misconduct. arrested two Sikh men on Saturday in connection with the operation on Parliament Hill.
These two people were arrested on misinformation, while participating in a United Sikhs Front of Canada event to commemorate the massacre of Sikhs in India in 1984, as they have been doing every year since 2017.
Harpreet Hansra and Manveer Singh, two of the event organizers, contacted police, when parliament had to evacuate due to a potential threat to Parliament Hill, according to information sent to the Ottawa Police Service (OPS ). A large security perimeter was put in place.
The two men introduced themselves to OPS of their own free will to answer questions from investigators. They were finally released a few hours later. The police then apologized to them, according to Mr Hansra, explaining to them that they had been victims. of the fraud of terrorism.
Police sources said CBC that the information received by the authorities, particularly the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), was that members of an extremist group, Babbar Khalsar, were heading to a demonstration with explosives.
This organization, also called Babbar Khalsar International (BKI), aims to establish an independent and fundamentalist Sikh state called Khalistan, according to the Canadian Ministry of Public Security.
However, Mr. Hansra indicated that the two men identified as interested persons were not members of BKI.
A meeting this week
Following the incident, Mr. Hansra and the World Sikh Organization of Canada called for an investigation into the events, and those responsible for the fraud will be held accountable for targeting a Sikh rally in Ottawa. with a fake bomb threat.
On his note, the interim leader Steve Bell indicates that Ottawa police are well aware the impact of this investigation on the City and on the individuals arrestedconfirming that the two individuals arrested were Canadian citizens of Sikh descent.
We contacted Ottawa Sikh community leaders and will meet with them later this week to collect their feedback and discuss Ottawa Police response and operational processes in these situations. Our relationship with the Sikh community is important to uswritten by Mr. bells.
” Our goal is to work to explain our response and remove any doubt about our support for communities, as well as to re -ensure that Ottawa Police is working to better understand and meet the needs of our communities. “
The RCMP is currently investigating the incident on Saturday.
Because of this investigation, we are limited in what we can say, but we strive to provide as much information as possible to ensure transparency. […] When the investigation of RCMP complete, we will fully review the incident and community feedback to see how we can improve our responses to similar incidentssaad ng chef bells.
Radio Canada
Source: Radio-Canada
