He claims that Indian officials mistakenly designated him as a sought-after terrorist to provoke tensions and damage Canada’s image.
An executive at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has initiated a $9-million lawsuit against the Indian government.
Sandeep Singh “Sunny” Sidhu, a CBSA superintendent from British Columbia with nearly 20 years of experience, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in the Ontario Superior Court. He claims that Indian officials mistakenly designated him as a sought-after terrorist to provoke tensions and damage Canada’s image. India has consistently rejected any claims of participation in such activities.
As stated in the claim drafted by Toronto attorney Jeffrey Kroeker, Sidhu feels he was singled out due to his Sikh surname and his prominent position in border security. The legal complaint claims that Indian media reported misleading information last October, portraying him as a “feared terrorist” associated with outlawed extremist organizations.
These allegations rapidly circulated on social media, with users divulging his personal information and making lethal threats demanding his extradition.
Sidhu mostly stayed out of the public eye, except for a few quick spots on the Border Security: Canada’s Front Line TV program. Then, he says, he got a bunch of threats all at once, which made him go into hiding.
The lawsuit also mentions that all this messed with his head, causing stress and drinking problems. Later on, he got help at St Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver.
The allegation also states that the CBSA improperly managed the crisis. Rather than offering him assistance, Sidhu claims the agency ignored the threats as irrelevant to his work and conducted invasive internal investigations, requesting him to sign privacy release forms.
He was put on leave during the investigation but was subsequently exonerated and resumed his duties. The legal action claims that the CBSA downplayed the severity of the threats and did not safeguard him.
In a previous reply to CBC News, the CBSA verified that Sidhu remains employed and stated it discovered no evidence backing the allegations against him
