He raised concerns about the social situation in Canada, especially the influence of Khalistani elements on young Indian students. He noted that non-Khalistani students are being threatened and even pressured into joining gangs. “Many innocent children who went there became criminals, gangsters, Khalistani criminals,” he said, emphasizing that these students are being negatively influenced by local Khalistani groups.
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In an interview with NDTV, Sanjay Verma said, “At this time in Canada there is a threat from Khalistani terrorists and extremists to the larger Indian community… including students (of whom there were around 319,000 as of 2023). “How this (Khalistani terrorists’ outreach to Indian students in Canada) works is… given the condition of that economy there are few jobs… so students are offered money and food, and this is how Khalistani terrorists and extremists influence them with nefarious plans”
Sanjay Verma’s stark warning for parents
Verma also expressed deep concerns about harsh realities that Indian students had to face when they to Canada to pursue higher education. Verma told news agency PTI that substandard living conditions, underemployment, and the rising influence of Khalistani elements in Canada pose problems for Indian students in Canada.
Asked if parents need to think twice, before sending them to Canada, he said, “Absolutely.” Canada and the United States are the two top destinations for Indians pursuing higher education, many of them choosing the University of Toronto, McGill University, the University of British Columbia or University of Alberta, among others. But Indian students there number in a few hundreds every year. The rest end up in little known campuses.ALSO READ: Canada: Justin Trudeau vows to lead Liberal Party in next election despite MPs calls to step aside
According to data shared by the Indian government in Parliament early August, as on date, 13,35,878 Indian students are pursuing higher studies abroad in 2024. In the current year, 4,27,000 of them are studying in Canada and 3,37,630 in the US.
Students forced to live in cramped spaces
The recalled envoy also pointed out how Indian students are forced to live in cramped spaces and take up odd jobs to make their ends meet in Canada. He pointed out that many students, who come from well-to-do families, are forced to live in minimal spaces, with eights students sharing one room. They end up enrolled in institutions that offer minimal classes, leading them to work low-wage jobs just to make ends meet, he stated.
“A whole week they work at a store, as a daily wager,” Verma said, referring to students’ reliance on part-time jobs rather than focusing on their education. He added that many students, despite their qualifications, are compelled to take on jobs as cab drivers or other odd roles, diverging from their original aspirations.
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Sanjay Verma slams Canada’s legal system
Calling Canada’s behaviour “the pits”, Sanjay Verma said India was back-stabbed and treated in a most unprofessional manner by a country that is supposed to be a friendly democracy. “This is the pits. This is the most unprofessional approach to a bilateral relation. There are diplomatic tools available in the hands of a diplomat. Those tools could have been used” instead of seeking to interrogate a country’s top envoy and other diplomats, Verma said in an interview to PTI.
Verma said that extreme hard-line Khalistanis are only about 10,000 in number, and supporters amount to perhaps 1 lakh in a Sikh population of about 8 lakhs. “To get support they intimidate commons Sikhs there, including with threats such as ‘we know where your daughter is studying'” Verma said.
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“The Khalistanis have made Khalistan into a business in Canada. In the name of Khalistan, they do human trafficking, drug trafficking, gun-running and all. They earn a lot of money through that and also through gurudwaras and they use part of that money for all nefarious jobs,” he said.
The High Commissioner’s comments come amid rising tensions between India and Canada, with an increasing number of Indian parents expressing anxiety over their children’s safety and future prospects abroad.
(With agency inputs)
