Two organizers of a Sikh event near Parliament Hill on Saturday said they were still in shock after being unlawfully arrested in connection with a bomb threat, an experience one man described as “disrespectful” and “harassing”.
Manvir Singh, organizer of a Sikh commemoration rally in India in 1984, said his group had been allowed to gather on the hill, but when members arrived, they were told they were not allowed to be there. due to an ongoing threat in the area.
Parminder Singh, another organizer, said they moved to a lawn in front of Canada’s Supreme Court nearby to hold their event.
Minutes after the rally began, Manvir Singh said police had arrested him and told him they had “reliable information” that he was involved in a serious bomb threat on the Hill.
“They believed I was the one to do it. I was shocked. I’m gathering my community here to bomb them?” he said, adding that police searched him, handcuffed him and took him to the police station for questioning.
He said police asked to search his turban while searching it before the Supreme Court.
“If I did not follow their instructions, they could do anything to me, because the threat was very great, it was a threat to the security of the national parliament.”
Parminder Singh said he was soon arrested by Ottawa police, who told him his name was linked to an alleged bomb threat from parliament.
“It doesn’t make sense because I know I’m not involved in anything. I’m proud as a Canadian Sikh. I love this country, I will do anything to protect this country,” he said.
“Why am I being arrested? Because I’m wearing a turban and my skin isn’t white? What’s going on?” he added.
Ottawa police did not answer questions about the men’s account of the events, saying only that the investigation into the case has been completed and no charges have been filed.
The two organizers said police also searched their cars for explosives.
When detained by police, both men said officers forced them to take off their turbans. Manvir Singh said he was forced to remove other religious symbols, including a bracelet called a kara and a ceremonial sword known as a kirpan.
“They wanted me to untie my turban because they have to search very carefully, because I believe I was the terrorist in their eyes at the time,” he said.
After being briefly in custody, Parminder Singh said police released him and apologized, adding that he had been arrested on the basis of misinformation.
The men said police told them the information linking them to the threat came from the Canadian Border Service.
Rebecca Purdy, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Border Service, said in a statement Monday that the agency works regularly with law enforcement to ensure border security, including intelligence and law enforcement.
The RCMP said Monday it could only confirm details of criminal investigations where charges have been filed.
Police said in a statement Saturday that they had received information about a potential threat near the parliamentary section, which led them to close some surrounding streets to cars and pedestrians.
The Parliamentary Security Service also ordered the evacuation of Parliament Hill, sending a signal to all members of parliament and staff, noting that all buildings in the area must be sheltered until further notice.
Both organizers of the Sikh rally say they are worried about the damage to their reputation as a result of the arrest in connection with the threat of explosives.
Although police said they were conducting an investigation and if they found nothing, they would release him, Parminder Singh said they should have conducted an investigation before arresting him.
“It has deeply hurt my children, my wife and other members of the community,” Parminder Singh said, calling the experience “disrespectful” and “harassment.”
He said his group began organizing these rallies in 2017 to bring together Sikhs from Ontario and Quebec. Events have been canceled in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Are you arresting me while I’m holding a peaceful rally? I’ve been doing this for almost my whole life.”
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on June 13, 2022.
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