New Delhi: The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has confirmed to ThePrint that Sandeep Singh Sidhu — wanted for “promoting terrorist activities” in Punjab and the murder of a Shaurya Chakra awardee in Punjab’s Tarn Taran — is a CBSA employee.
This comes amid a flare-up in the India-Canada diplomatic row over the June 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleging “violent criminal activity in Canada with connections to India”.
In an official email, the CBSA told ThePrint, “The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is aware of the articles and takes any allegations seriously. We can confirm that the individual you are referring to is an employee of the CBSA.”
“Please note that due to the Privacy Act, we cannot provide details on specific cases or individuals,” it added.
Sharing the information on how the CBSA assesses candidates, its official website says the agency “has a very extensive process to make sure we hire the right people with the right skills and experience”.
It says the candidate has to undergo a “telephone integrity interview, a credit check, and law enforcement and security database verifications”. “Candidates must also submit the following: digital fingerprints (at your expense) a form that includes information about your: employment history, qualifications, references and travel outside of Canada.”
Sandeep Singh Sidhu (43) is an accused in the October 2020 assassination of Balwinder Singh Sandhu, a 2020 Shaurya Chakra awardee and Canadian national, outside his home at Bhikhiwind in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
The National Investigation Agency, which took over the investigation in 2021, told the Supreme Court last week that operatives with the banned terror outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) hatched the conspiracy and masterminded Sandhu’s murder.
Sidhu, a CBSA superintendent living in Abbotsford, British Columbia, promotes terrorist activities in Punjab, according to an NIA dossier. He is also accused of having links with the Pakistan-based Lakhbir Singh Rode, the nephew of radical Sikh preacher Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a designated terrorist in India under the UAPA, and Sikh separatist Gurjot Kaur.
According to Indian agencies, Sidhu is also a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). The ISYF, reportedly, remains banned in India, Australia, Japan, the US, and Canada.
‘Extensive process’
To attain a security clearance, the CBSA’s official website for recruitment states, applicants must “obtain an Enhanced Reliability Status plus Secret Clearance as part of the selection process and maintain their clearance throughout their employment within the agency”.
“Once your application is successful, find the guidance you’ll need to get through the extensive evaluation and training process that follows,” it adds.
The process starts with the agency approving and accepting an application to become a candidate. A high school diploma, driver’s license, Canadian citizenship or permanent residency are the requirements to apply. There is an entrance test, called the Officer Trainee Entrance Exam, followed by an interview, psychological assessment, firearms safety courses, a medical exam, second language evaluation (required for bilingual positions only), physical fitness evaluation, and security clearance.
“Due to extensive testing required, the process can take up to 18 months,” the CBSA says on its website.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)