Australian foreign minister raises allegations of India targeting Sikhs in Canada

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s foreign minister said Tuesday she raised allegations with her Indian counterpart that India has targeted Sikh activists in Canada.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she discussed the Canadian allegations with Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar while he was in the Australian capital, Canberra.

India has denied Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police went public last with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with their government back home. They said top Indian officials were then passing that information along to Indian organized crime groups who were targeting the activists, who are Canadian citizens, with drive-by shootings, extortions and even murder.

Canada is not the only country that has accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination on foreign soil. The United States Justice Department announced criminal charges in mid-October against an Indian government employee in connection with an alleged foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.

The Justice Department said Vikash Yadav, who authorities say directed the New York plot from India, faces murder-for-hire charges in an alleged planned killing that prosecutors have previously said was meant to precede a string of other politically motivated murders in the United States and Canada.

Wong said her message to the Sikh community was that people have a right to be safe and respected in Australia, regardless of who they are.

“We’ve made clear our concerns about the allegations under investigation. We’ve said that we respect Canada’s judicial process,” Wong said at a news conference with Jaishankar.

“We convey our views to India as you would expect us to do and we have a principled position in relation to matters such as the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and also, frankly, the sovereignty of all countries,” she added.

Jaishankar said Canada has put Indian diplomats under surveillance, which was “unacceptable.”

Australia has close intelligence-sharing ties with Canada as members of the Five Eyes alliance that also includes the United States, Britain and New Zealand.

Over the weekend, India officially protested Canada's allegation of Sikh activists being targeted there as “absurd and baseless.”

Jaishankar on Tuesday also condemned reports of vandalism at a Hindu temple near Toronto in Canada on Sunday as “deeply concerning.” In videos on social media, demonstrators carrying yellow flags in support of the Sikh separatist movement can be seen clashing with others, including some holding India's national flag, inside the temple complex. Indian consular officials were visiting the temple where the clashes erupted. It was unclear how the violence began.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the violence at the temple “unacceptable,” adding that “every Canadian has the right to practice their faith freely and safely.”

The violence drew a strong rebuke from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. “Equally appalling are the cowardly attempts to intimidate our diplomats. Such acts of violence will never weaken India’s resolve,” he wrote on the social media platform X, adding that India expects Canada to ensure justice.

A demonstration that included protesters holding India's national flag near the same temple on Monday night was ordered to disperse after Peel Regional Police said on social media that weapons were seen within the crowd. Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly, and warned anyone who remains could face arrest.

Relations between the two countries soured after Trudeau said last year there were credible evidence the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has vehemently rejected the accusation.

New Delhi, long anxious about Sikh separatist groups, has increasingly accused the Canadian government of giving free rein to separatists from a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, in India.

The diplomatic row led to the expulsion of each side's top diplomats last month.

Jaishankar said, “We believe in freedoms, but we also believe freedom should not be misused.”

Trudeau has said Modi underlined to him at a G20 summit in India last year that he wanted Canada to arrest people who have been outspoken against the Indian government. Trudeau said he told Modi that he felt the actions fall within free speech in Canada.

Trudeau added that he told Modi his government would work with India on concerns about terrorism, incitement of hate or anything that is unacceptable in Canada. But Trudeau also noted that advocating for separatism, though not Canadian government policy, is not illegal in Canada.

Associated Press writer Krutika Pathi in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Activists of United Hindu Front, a right wing group reacting to Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada, hold placards during a protest in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Activists of United Hindu Front, a right wing group reacting to Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada, hold placards during a protest in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Activists of United Hindu Front, a right wing group reacting to Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada, hold placards during a protest in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

Activists of United Hindu Front, a right wing group reacting to Canada’s allegation that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered the targeting of Sikh activists inside Canada, hold placards during a protest in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, left, and Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong meet at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

NFL teams have one more chance to bolster their roster for a playoff run.

The Chiefs (8-0), Bills (7-2), Ravens (6-3) and Jets (3-6) have already added playmakers, acquiring wide receivers over the past month. The Vikings (6-2) filled a big need on the offensive line last week and the Cardinals (5-4) got defensive help on Monday.

The trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. More players will be switching uniforms.

Raiders star edge rusher Maxx Crosby and Saints four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore are among the biggest names who could be on the move.

The Detroit Lions, who were looking for an edge rusher following star Aidan Hutchinson’s leg injury, are getting defensive end Za’Darius Smith from the Cleveland Browns, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press on Tuesday. The Browns, already looking to rebuild in a disappointing season, are sending Smith and a seventh-round pick in 2026 to the Lions (7-1). In return, Cleveland is getting a fifth-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2026, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the deal.

Other teams who could use another player to pressure the quarterback include the Falcons (6-3), Broncos (5-4) and Vikings. The Texans (6-3), Packers (6-3), Rams (4-4) and Seahawks (4-5) have to be looking for offensive line depth.

Losing teams are the likely sellers and there’s plenty of them in that category. A whopping nine teams have just two wins through Week 9.

Two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City has been a top buyer and could still be shopping. The Chiefs already added three-time All-Pro receiver D’Andre Hopkins and edge rusher Josh Esche.

Hopkins made his presence felt in Monday night’s 30-24 overtime victory over Tampa Bay. He caught eight passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns in his second game with Patrick Mahomes.

The Jets acquired three-time All-Pro Davante Adams three weeks ago. He caught seven passes for 91 yards and one TD in New York’s 21-13 win over Houston last Thursday.

Amari Cooper had a TD reception in his first game with Buffalo two weeks ago. Diontae Johnson played 17 snaps in his debut with Baltimore, a 41-10 win over Denver.

Left tackle Cam Robinson had a solid first start in Minnesota’s 21-13 victory against Indianapolis. Arizona picked up outside linebacker Baron Browning from Denver for a sixth-round pick, a day after taking over first place in the NFC West.

The NFL pushed the trade deadline back an extra week this year, giving teams more time to improve their rosters.

“I don’t feel like it’s as big a shift in that as maybe I thought it might to see, OK, you’re not seeing a team dump players, and as you see a narrative in some other sports,” Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. “But what I do see and feel is maybe teams really competing thinking our league is built so closely and designed with parity in mind. So, if you can make a move to change your roster or think this player would really add value, I think that’s the biggest difference.”

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed.

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New York Jets offensive tackle Olu Fashanu (74) lifts wide receiver Davante Adams (17) after his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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NFL trade deadline: Teams have one more chance to improve their roster before a playoff run