The long arm of the Indian state is reaching Australians with threats against members of the Indian diaspora, the amassing of political power, and never-before-reported details of a 'nest of spies'.
Modi 's India n government and its allies accused of spying, silencing Sikh critics and pushing its far-right ideology in AustraliaLate one night in January 2023, Harjinder Singh's phone rang while he drove his taxi around Melbourne. It was a man he'd never met, speaking Punjabi, with a veiled threat: Stop the referendum going ahead or "the result will be bad".
", 'We got orders from the Indian authorities. If anyone's doing the opposite against the country, we got orders to kill them,'" Harjinder said. His parents were scared. Politicians watching this closely say the sheer number of expulsions could put India on par with countries such as Russia and China, notorious for breaking protocols overseas.Since Modi came to power a decade ago, he's amped up India's intelligence operations. In Modi's telling, it's defending the country from separatist groups, which his administration has labelled "terrorists".
Months earlier, the Indian foreign secretary sent a secret cable to Indian consulates across North America ordering a "sophisticated crackdown" on pro-Khalistan groups it had designated as terrorists. Moninder now visits Australia frequently for crisis meetings with the Sikh separatist community and to sound an alarm."They're already here, they're already interfering and it's very dangerous for the Sikh community here.
This pattern of threats from Indian authorities has forced some Australians to take a step back from their political work, and many did not want to speak publicly because of fears for their own and their family's safety.Others, like Harjinder Singh, said they wouldn't be stopped. "Why would we be scared? We are not doing anything wrong," he said.
Four Corners has discovered one of the organisation's founding members in Australia, Rahul Jethi, is a major player in the Liberal Party in the north-west of Sydney.Jethi is one of former immigration minister Alex Hawke's close deputies. He holds the powerful position of federal electoral conference president, supervising the branches in the federal MP's seat of Mitchell.
"It's entirely possible that he could tell Alex Hawke that he can roll him in his next preselection," Camenzuli, a long-time rival of Hawke, said.Alex Hawke said his branches had followed the rules and that he was not aware of any conflict of interest with Jethi's role in the Liberal Party and the OFBJP.
"Being a citizen, obviously we exercise our rights here, but other than that there is nothing," group office bearer Ankur Patel said. "There are people you meet who go through similar issues around racism and bullying … you come back feeling like you're not alone." "HSS takes inspiration from RSS with respects to character development in serving our local society."
Whether this tempers Modi's approach, or hardens his resolve, Australia is keen to stay close to this emerging superpower.
Narendra Modi Khalistan India Sikh Hardeep Singh Nijjar Gurpatwant Pannun Sikhs For Justice
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