New Delhi: A senior Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) official has come forward after being accused by the union government of terrorism and murder – allegations that Canadian authorities have found to be entirely baseless, according to a CBC report. Sundeep “Sunny” Singh Sidhu, a CBSA superintendent, has since been reinstated, but his legal team contends that the Canadian government should have offered stronger support in countering what they call a disinformation campaign by a foreign power. While the CBC report spells his name “Sundeep,” other reports have it as “Sandeep.”
Sidhu, who has served with CBSA for two decades, asserts he has no ties to Sikh separatism or extremist politics. Nevertheless, his name and image were circulated last month in multiple news outlets that, citing government sources, labeled him as a “member of the banned International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF)” and alleged he was connected to a 2020 murder.
Sidhu’s name came up in the media only after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau went public with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing information about them with the government. The government expelled six Canadian diplomats in response, stating that Canada does not act against terrorism and reiterating that it was yet to take action on its list of requests for deportation.
CBSA’s initial response included reassigning Sidhu from his frontline role and launching a rigorous investigation, involving polygraph tests and a comprehensive review of his personal records, which ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing. However, Sidhu said that he and his family continue to live under the shadow of these allegations. The hostility escalated last month when Sidhu’s address was highlighted on social media with captions encouraging violence, echoing threats made against the late Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh activist shot outside a temple in 2023. Nijjar’s murder was alleged by Trudeau to involve Indian agents.
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Sidhu’s attorney, Jeffrey Kroeker, pointed out that the CBSA investigation inadvertently amplified the allegations by sharing news articles that accused Sidhu of terrorism with colleagues through automated internal communications, arguing that Canada’s government must move quickly to support public servants targeted by foreign entities.
The media, particularly pro-government outlets, have framed Canada as a “safe haven for extremists” and have cited Sidhu’s case to bolster their narrative of Canadian complicity. CBSA spokesperson Luke Reimer confirmed to CBC that Sidhu has been fully cleared, adding that the agency had no evidence to support any of the allegations reported in the media.
Former CSIS Director Dick Fadden commented that while CBSA was right to investigate a serious allegation, its handling of Sidhu’s case may have left him vulnerable. “As a matter of principle, he’s a Crown servant… So there is a duty of care and concern,” Fadden told CBC news, noting that Canada’s resources could have been better deployed to protect Sidhu and his family. He added that allegations without evidence are common from the union government, often with the intent of stoking discord abroad.
Sidhu continues to express pride in his work but says he feels the Canadian government has yet to fully protect him from false accusations. “I’m a proud public servant,” he said. “I want to continue protecting our country. What I want from my country is to protect me at this point.”
