Foreign Minister Addresses Case of Border Officer Targeted by Indian Disinformation Campaign

Canada’s border officer falsely labeled as terrorist by India alleges government abandonment in lawsuit

A veteran Canada Border Services Agency officer has filed a lawsuit claiming the Canadian government failed to protect him after India falsely branded him a terrorist in what he describes as a state-sponsored disinformation campaign.

Sandeep Singh Sidhu, who has served as a border officer for two decades, alleges in court documents filed Tuesday in Ottawa that India used him as a pawn in its diplomatic dispute with Canada. The campaign began after Canada publicly accused Indian agents of assassinating a Sikh activist in British Columbia in 2023.

“We take the position that this was an orchestrated misinformation campaign against a citizen of Canada, and in this case, an innocent citizen of Canada,” Sidhu’s lawyer, Jeffrey Kroeker, said in an interview.

According to the lawsuit, Indian news outlets and social media influencers circulated Sidhu’s photo, falsely labeling him as a terrorist, killer, and fugitive. They even published his home address, which led to direct threats against him, including a social media post showing his house with the caption, “Go and kill him.”

“I woke up living in a nightmare,” Sidhu told Global News. “Every one of these allegations is completely and unequivocally false. They are not true. This has been a misinformation campaign, a foreign interference campaign, and I have been used as a pawn.”

The lawsuit seeks $9 million in damages from both India and Canada. It alleges the CBSA failed to assist Sidhu when he reported the situation, claiming it wasn’t a work-related matter. While the agency consulted with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and confirmed the Indian allegations were false, Sidhu claims they neither offered him protection nor helped clear his name.

Instead, according to court documents, the CBSA subjected him to an internal investigation, leaving him to face the torrent of false accusations on his own.

“It’s a complete betrayal,” Sidhu said. “This has affected my life at all levels. It’s left me fearing for my life. It’s left me fearing for my family’s safety.”

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, who oversees the CBSA, responded to questions about the case on Tuesday, saying he was unfamiliar with the specific situation but that government employees “serve Canadians and they deserve to be treated with respect, whether it’s from within Canada or outside.” He added that Canada’s public servants are being “defamed by a range of actors.”

The CBSA has not yet responded to requests for comment. Neither has India’s high commission in Ottawa, nor the Indian news outlets whose reports calling Sidhu a terrorist remain online.

Security experts suggest Sidhu was likely targeted because he has a common Sikh name and holds a senior, uniformed position in Canada’s national security establishment. The disinformation campaign appears to be part of India’s broader effort to portray Canada as a haven for pro-Khalistan terrorists who support independence for Punjab, India’s Sikh-majority state.

“At the height of a diplomatic row between Canada and India, they needed a convenient patsy to blame something or put something on to deflect from genuine accusations of assassinations taking place in Canada,” Kroeker explained. “So they found somebody who worked for the Canadian government amongst tens of thousands of civil servants, picked him out of the air because he has Sikh heritage, and threw him under the bus.”

Sidhu, who was born in British Columbia, emphasized that he has never been involved in any activities related to the Khalistan movement. “I am not that person. I’m not associated with that person. I have never made a pro-Khalistan statement,” he said. “I am pro-Canadian, lived in Canada. My family is lifelong public servants.”

The case emerges as Prime Minister Mark Carney works to repair relations with India in hopes of securing a trade deal, despite growing evidence of India’s interference targeting Canada’s South Asian community.