Two Sikh rally organizers say they were wrongly arrested amid Parliament bomb scare
Two organizers of a Sikh event near Parliament Hill on Saturday say they are still in shock after being wrongfully arrested in connection with a bomb threat, an experience one of the men described as "disrespectful" and "harassment."
Manveer Singh, an organizer of a remembrance rally for the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in India, said his group had received a permit to gather on the Hill, but when members arrived they were told they were not allowed to be there because of an ongoing threat in the area.
Parminder Singh, another organizer, said they relocated to the lawn in front of the Supreme Court of Canada nearby to hold their event.
A few minutes after the rally got underway, Manveer Singh said police arrested him and told him they had "credible information" that he was connected to a serious bomb threat on the Hill.
"They believed that I'm the one who's gonna do that. I was shocked. I'm gathering my community here to bomb them?" he said, adding that police searched him, handcuffed him and brought him to the police station for questioning.
He said police asked to frisk his turban while searching him outside the Supreme Court.
"If I don't obey their instructions they could have done anything to me, because the threat was very big, it was a security threat to the national Parliament."
Parminder Singh said he was arrested not long afterward by Ottawa police, who told him that his name was connected to an alleged bomb threat of Parliament.
"It doesn't make sense because I know I am not involved in anything. I'm proud as a Canadian Sikh. I love this country, I will do everything to protect this country," he said.
"Why am I arrested? Because I'm wearing a turban and my skin is not white? What's going on?" he added.
Ottawa police did not answer questions about the men's account of events, saying only that the investigation into the matter is now concluded and no charges were laid.
The two organizers said that police also searched their cars for explosives.
When in police custody, both men said officers had them take off their turbans. Manveer Singh said he was also made 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 closely … Because I believe that I was the terrorist at that time in their eyes," he said.
After being in custody for a short while, Parminder Singh said police released him and apologized, adding they arrested him based on wrong information.
The men said police told them that the information that connected them to the threat came from the Canada Border Services Agency.
Rebecca Purdy, spokesperson for Canada Border Services Agency, said in a statement Monday that the agency works regularly with law enforcement to ensure border security, including intelligence and enforcement.
The RCMP said Monday that it can only confirm details related to criminal investigations where charges have been laid.
Police said in a statement Saturday that they received information about a potential threat near the parliamentary precinct, prompting them to close some surrounding streets to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
The Parliamentary Protective Service also ordered an evacuation of Parliament Hill, issuing an alert to all members of Parliament and staff and noting all buildings in the precinct were to be under shelter-in-place orders until further notice.
Both of the Sikh rally organizers say they are worried about the damage done to their reputations as a result of being arrested in connection to the explosives threat.
Although police said they were conducting an investigation and if they did not find anything, they would release him, Parminder Singh said they should have done an investigation before arresting him.
"It's deeply hurt my kids, my wife and also other community members," Parminder Singh said, calling the experience "disrespectful" and "harassment."
He said his group began organizing these rallies in 2017, to gather Sikhs from across Ontario and Quebec. Events have been cancelled over the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You're arresting me doing a peacefully rally? I've been doing this for almost my whole life."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.